LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 



I UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 



fd 




33 Tuizza, ^Navorva. 

34 St Andrea, della, Yalle 

35 The Forvbe, Sisto 

36 The Island, of the, Tiber 

37 The Ghetto 

38 me Tonte JLotto 

39 Temple of Vesta, 

40 St' 2 - Sabir-jo, 

4L Thje JPr-otestaiU, Cemetery 

42 S f f Jilnria, uv Trastevere 

43 S* Fiei.ro in Montotio 

m Cook's Tourist Office. 



THE NEW 



CVRIOSVM VRBIS 



A GUIDE TO 



ANCIENT AND MODERN ROME. 



THE NEW 

CVRIOSVM VRBIS 



A GUIDE TO 

ANCIENT AND MODERN 

ROME. 



BY 

SHAKSPERE W O O D . 




London : 

THOMAS COOK & SON, Ludgate Circus, E.C. 
HODDER & STOUGHTON, Paternoster Row, E.C. 
Rome: THOMAS COOK & SON, Id, Piazza di Spagna. 
New York: COOK, SON, & JENKINS, 261, Broadway. 



1875- 



[All Rights reserved, both in Great Britain and Italy.] 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Paga 

Introduction ... .. .. ... ... 3 

Routes to and from Eome ... ... ... ... 28 

Arrival ... .. ... ... ... .. 33 

The Piazza di Spagna ... ... ... ... 35 

From the Piazza di Spagna to St. Peter's and the Vatican 38 

From the Porta del Popolo to the Capitol ... ... 88 

From the Capitol to the Palace of the Cffisars ... ... 130 

The Palatine and the Palace of the Caasars ... ... 143 

From the Palace of the Cassars to St. John Lateran . . . 155 

Beyond the Lateran ... ... .. ... 197 

The Ccelian Hill ... ... . ... ... ... 202 

From the Forum to the Baths of Caracalla and the ) Q1 ~ 

AppianWay ... ... \ 

From the Piazza di Spagna to the Quirinal and the ) O o ? 
Baths of Diocletian ... ... ... ) 

From Sta. Maria Maggiore to St. Pietro in Vinculi ... 251 

Around the Pantheon ... ... ... ... 271 

The Trastevere ... ... ... ... ... 303 

From the Theatre of Marcellus to St. Paul's outside ) q9fi 
the walls ... ... ■ ... \ 

The Aventine ... ... ... ... ... 350 

Churches, Yillas, &c, not situated within the different ) ..-^ 
sections ... ... .. ... \ 

Appendix ... ... ... ... ... ... 375 

Index ... ... ... ... ... ... 379 

i> 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the following pages the author endeavours to TheAntWa 

• . endeavour. 

guide the stranger among the remains of the series 
of cities succeeding generations of Romans have 
built, one upon the other ; through the streets of 
that which belongs to the period closed on the 20th 
of September, 1870; and over the sites where the 
new city of Rome, the capital of Italy, is rapidly 
springing into being. The information given has 
been obtained exclusively from original authorities; 
through an intimate acquaintance with the cities 
of Rome, both ancient and modern ; and by accurate 
notes taken on the spot, as regards the contents of 
picture and sculpture galleries, and other collec- 
tions, the position of the component parts of which 
are constantly being changed. It is the intention of 
both the author and publishers to keep this Guide 
up to the present date — not the date of 1874, when 
these words were written — but the latest which 
the hand of time has inscribed on the pages of his- 
tory. But while noting day by day what changes 
may occur in things and places here described, or 
what additions may be necessary through new 
discoveries made — it may be well to look back 
upon those, interesting to the traveller, which have 
taken place within a few years, and particularly 
during the last four, since Rome once more 



4 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



assumed a position of political importance in the 
world. 

Recent Up to the time when Pius IX. had occupied the 

shangaa. 1 L 

papal throne for a period beyond the general 
average of the reigns of Popes, Rome was as dis- 
tant from London or Paris, calculating by time, as 
ISTew York or St. Petersburg are now. She was to all 
intents and purposes a city of the past — no railway 
crossed her territory, no telegraphic wire carried 
intelligence to other countries of what was occur- 
rino* within her walls. Without commerce, without 
communication, she was virtually cut on 2 from 
the rest of mankind, and sunk to be the mere 
Sacristy of the Roman Catholic Church, and an 
interesting place of sojourn for students of art and 
antiquity, and for those few wealthy persons who 
had time and leisure at their command. 
Passports. The passport system was retained in Rome in 
the most rigorous sense, long after it had been 
abolished in other countries, except as a matter of 
momentary political necessity. Five years ago no 
Soman could obtain his passport in less than three 
days, and then only on the production of a certifi- 
cate from the curate of his parish that he had 
satisfied all the requirements of the Roman Catholic 
religion. It is scarcely longer since when Her 
Majesty's Consul, receiving on a Saturday after- 
noon, after the Papal Police Office was closed, in- 
telligence of a near relation lying dangerously ill 
at Marseilles, was unable to get his papers regu- 
lated by the authorities in time to leave Rome 
before the following Monday evening. Although 



Introduction. 



5 



the use of passports is now abolished in Italy, it is 
no disadvantage to have one. It may, at Post- 
offices and other places, serve to establish a person's 
identity in the absence of better credentials. 

With no gas in the streets, with a censorship of 
the press which prohibited the advance of litera- 
ture within the Papal dominions, or its introduction 
from abroad, she remained in darkness both ma- 
terial and moral, long after the light of civilisation 
"had spread rapidly elsewhere. While superstition 
reigned within, it can scarcely be a matter for 
wonder that ignorance and prejudice regarding 
her should exist without, and particularly with 
reference to the climate. 

There can be no doubt that seventy years ago, The Climate, 
when each of the 365 or more churches was a 
separate cemetery, Rome was far from a healthy 
city. One of the first things Xapoleon the First 
found himself obliged to do when he occupied 
Rome, at the beginning of this century, was to 
establish an extra mural place of burial. The ad- 
vantage of this reform was even recognised by the 
Popes, and intermural interment was gradually 
prohibited, first within one church and then within 
another, among the more fever-stricken districts, 
until it was finally abolished altogether — ex- 
cept occasionally in the case of some wealthy 
English convert, to whose remains it was desired 
to pay especial honour. Xow there is no respect 

for persons in this regard. There were also many Causes of 
. . unhealthy 

other causes of unhealthiness. Such a thing as a ness. 

water closet was absolutely unknown ten years 



6 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



ago ; and to say nothing of the houses occupied by 
the Romans, those let to foreigners of wealth and 
position were unprovided with anything but a 
common open privy — often situated in the kitchen 
— disseminating miasma throughout the house. 
The bye-streets were often impassable for filth, and 
to within the last few years it was impossible for 
women to pass along some of the streets connecting 
the Corso with the Babuino, so continually were 
they used by men for that convenience the houses 
did not afford. In the courtyards of nine-tenths 
of the houses there were open wells sunk to a con- 
siderable depth, the sides of which were green with 
damp. These also created miasma and unhealthi- 
ness during the hotter months; and in the grounds 
of the many private villas within the walls, built by 
wealthy persons, but occupied by their impover- 
ished descendants, were stagnant pools of water — 
where once there had been gushing fountains — 
covered with rotting verdure and spreading malaria 
all around. Up to a very recent period it was the 
custom to flood the immense Piazza iSavona — then 
a vegetable market — with water every Sunday 
during the month of August. It was made a kind 
of popular f esta ; those who kept, or could afford 
to hire carriages, used to drive backwards and for- 
wards through the water, stirring up the refuse of 
decayed vegetables below, while the poorer sat 
around in crowds enjoying the fun. "When the 
sluices were opened, some of the accumulated 
refuse of the week was carried off. The remainder, 
soaked with water, lay and rotted in the sweltering 



Introduction. 



7 



August sim. And yet people wondered why 
August should bo so unhealthy a month, or so 
many people be struck down with fever. 

The abolishment, however, of intermural in- 
terment did much to lessen that unhealthy influ- 
ence supposed to exist in the pure air of the 
country, and other causes were in gradual process 
of removal by the Papal government; for, al- 
though it was adverse from any reforms which 
would turn the tide of civilisation through Rome, 
its interest was concerned in what might prevent 
a sufficient influx of wealthy persons, and thus 
some time anterior to Rome becoming the capital 
of Italy, sufficient of the evils had been removed 
to make Rome by no means the least healthy city 
of Italy. Bat the bad name remained, and the 
question is continually asked, why there should 
still be so strong an impression that the climate of 
Rome has particularly unhealthy qualities. The 
cause is not far to seek. The opposition made by 
Rome against the advance of modern civilisation 
necessarily spread throughout the other states into 
which Italy was divided, and over which Rome 
maintained a powerful influence. Up to ten years 
ago few persons came to Italy, except to take up 
their residence for some weeks at least, in one or 
other of the principal cities, and chiefly at Florence, 
Rome, or Naples. Rome, on account of its many 
objects and points of interest, was the most 
attractive for a lengthy stay; and consequently 
Florence and Xaples waged a continual war by 
spreading alarming reports to prevent persons 



8 



Tourist's .Handbook to Borne. 



Antagonism going on to Rome, or remaining there. And 

of other . 

cities, among those most active were, and m fact still are, 
medical practitioners interested in keeping, in the 
city where they had established themselves, those 
who had sought the climate of Italy. " You must 
not think of going to Rome before November, if 
you have the slightest regard for your health," to 
those on route southwards ; " You must not dream 
of remaining in Rome after Easter," urged Naples, 
in hopes of attracting persons there for the 
summer, who might have lingered in Rome, and 
spent the hotter months at L'Ariccia, Albano, or 
Tivoli. At both places alarming reports of epi- 
demics violently raging in Rome, at times even, 
when she had never been healthier, were con- 
stantly spread ; and articles were constantly ap- 
pearing in English medical journals of authority, 
written by those interested not only in Florence 
and Naples, but in Pau, Mentone, Nice, Sorrento, 
and many other places, in which it was sought to 
prove that the climate of Rome was at all times 
unhealthy, and at some even deadly. The favourite 
argument was a comparison between the number 
of births and deaths, and that with regard to a 
city w r ith so immense a population of celibates, 
monks, nuns, priests, soldiers, &c, that, were it the 
healthiest spot in Europe, the number of deaths 
The death mm st, as a matter of course, be in excess of the 
rate " births. In 1873 the total number of births was 

7201, and the deaths 8479: but of this 8479 no 
fewer than 5496 ! ! were unmarried persons. Then 
it is urged that the death rate is high in propor- 



Introduction. 



9 



tion to the population — no doubt it is; but so is the 
rate throughout Italy ; attributable to the inferior 
condition of medical science, and to other causes, 
altogether apart from climate ; and when the death 
rate of Rome is compared with that of other Italian 
cities it exhibits a very different picture from that 
which popular ignorance, prejudice, and individual 
interests would present. The f olio win sr table is Average mor- 

taUty. 

taken from a volume of statistics recently pub- 
lished by the Italian government : — 



City. 


Population. 


Deaths. 


Average per 1000 
inhabitants. 


Turin 


. 212,644 


5791 


27-2 


Palermo . 


. 219,395 


6259 


28-5 


Messina . 


. 111,851 


3234 


29-0 


Leghorn . 


. 97,097 


3046 


30-1 


Koine 


. 213,307 


8479 


340 


Bologna . 


. 115,957 ' 


3951 


34-0 


Florence . 


. 167,069 


6122 


36-6 


Milan 


. 199,009 


7361 


36-9 


Genoa 


. 130,296 


4972 


38-1 


Venice 


. 128,901 


4919 


38-1 


Naples 


. 448,335 


17,205 


38-3 


Trieste 


. 123,098 


5083 


41-2 



These figures need no comment. Excepting Rome one of 
Palermo and Messina, which are in Sicily, they est cities?"" 
show that of the ten principal cities of the Penin- 
sula, only two — Turin and Leghorn — are healthier 
t han Rome ; one — Bologna — is on a par with her, 
while six — Florence, Milan, Genoa, Venice, Naples, 
and Trieste— are from 2~ per 1000 to 7 per 1000 
less healthy than she is. 

The same exaggeration which has been applied 
to the uuhealthiness of Rome applies also to re- 



10 Tourist's Handbook to Home. 

maining in Rome during the summer, and to the 
supposed danger of entering it before October, or 

The hotter of remaining beyond May. Of course, between 
those months English people are liable to suffer 
inconvenience from the heat, but it seldom reaches, 
even on the hottest day, the summer temperature 
of Boston in the United States. Precautions must 
necessarily be taken against peculiarities in the 
climate during those months, as it is requisite to 
guard against the bleak east winds and other 
variations of the climate of London ; but the 
dangers are very slight, and the precautions very 

The Roman easy and simple. The Roman fever is nothing 
more than what is known in the United States as 
chills and fever ; and, unless complicated with other 
diseases, is seldom or ever fatal. The symptoms 
are easily recognised, and give plenty of warning 
for the use of preventives. It is preceded by a 
general feeling of lassitude and discomfort for 
some days, accompanied by a sensation of aching 

Precautions, in the joints, and a disposition to yawn. When 
English people feel thus out of sorts they generally 
attempt to walk it off, and augment rather than 
diminish the evil. The best thing is to consult a 
medical man at once, and he will prescribe an 
ordinary aperient, such as people can generally 
prescribe for themselves, to be followed by a few 
grains of quinine, to be taken an hour before eating 
three times a day for a couple of days. This is a 
sovereign preventive, and cuts off the complaint 
before it has time to develope. The quantity of 
quinine to be taken is no more than amounts to an 



Introduction. 



ordinary tonic, and quinine, like port wine or 
whiskey, is only detrimental to the system when 
taken in large quantities. It is not uncommon for 
persons newly arrived in Rome, to suffer for a 
short time from slight diarrhoea. The usual Diarrhoea. 
English remedy is a glass of brandy ; bub this has 
the effect in Rome of increasing the complaint ; the 
best specific is a mild aperient, such as a little 
rhubarb and salvolatile ; but brandy or any other 
spirit should above all things be avoided. While 
writing of matters connected with health it may 
not be unnecessary to advise the traveller to be 
careful and purchase good medicine, should he un- 
fortunately require any ; and to secure this he 
cannot do better than send his prescriptions to be 
made up at Baker's Pharmacy, No. 497, Corso, The best 

-r\ t ••-n chemist, 

the only Jimglish. chemist m Rome, and, m fact, 

the onlv one thoroughly reliable. In choosino- Apartments 

J f . J f or Hotels. 

apartments those localities are best where there is 
plenty of sun. Many persons about to make a 
stay in Rome are at loss to decide between private 
apartments and hotels ; but hotels will be found 
the most comfortable to all, except those who bring- 
either first-rate couriers or their own men and 
maids with them. Private apartments are dear, and 
particularly so when considered with reference to 
the accommodation they afford and the insufficient 
manner in which the majority are furnished, and 
the Roman servants are anything but desirable. 
Taking into consideration the trouble and possible 
annoyance of housekeeping in a foreign country, 
without a sufficient knowledge of the language 



12 



Tourist's Hundhook to Home. 



and the prices of things, the greater comfort, and 
even economy in the long-run, will be found in re- 
maining in one of the hotels, of which now there 
Houses' 8 1S arn P^ e choice. Those who do not care to remain 
in hotels, and yet wish to avoid the trouble of 
keeping house, cannot do better than take up their 
quarters at the Misses Smith's boarding house, in 
the Piazza di Spagna, if those ladies can receive 
them ; or at Miss Tellenbach's, also in the Piazza 
di Spagna. 

Money. As regards money, the best thing people can do 

is to carry either letters of credit or circular notes, 
with a sufficient supply of French gold for im- 
mediate use. A natural prejudice prevails among 
English people that they cannot do better than 
carry sovereigns, but this is a mistake. Sovereigns 
not being current in Italy, and being more difficult 
of transmission than paper, the same high rate of 
exchange is not given for them. At the present 
moment, in consequence of the financial difficulties 
against which Italy has still to contend, the 
value of sterling money is much above par, and 
during the year 1874 an average of 2\ francs 
above the value of each English pound was given 
in paper, and sometimes as much as four francs. 
This, in the purchase of many things waich have a 
comparatively fixed value, is a great advantage to 
the stranger ; but it must not be forgotten that as 
payment for every thing is taken in paper the 
prices of all imported articles must necessarily rise 
in proportion, for while the Englishman receives, 
say twenty-eight francs for his pound, the Italian 



Introduction. 



L3 



has to pay the same, and even a trifle more, for 
every pound he has to remit to England in pay- 
ment for goods imported from thence. It is not 
uncommon for an Englishman taking up a book 
which costs, say twenty shillings in England, to 
exclaim at the exorbitant profits charged by an 
Italian in asking thirty francs for it, forgetting 
that, through the rate of exchange, it has cost him 
twenty-eight francs, exclusive of carriage and 
Custom House duties. 

Those who have already been in Rome, but have improve- 
ments. . 

not visited it for the last four years, will at once 
be struck by the remarkable changes which have 
taken place since it became the capital of Italy. 
The streets now equal in scrupulous cleanliness 
those of any other city in Europe. It is no longer 
possible to encounter those dust heaps once found 
at almost every corner, with Immondezzia inscribed 
on the wall above them, where maids of all work 
deposited the daily sweepings of the house and 
kitchen, to be carted away at some indefinite period. 
All that look of dilapidation, so picturesque, but 
at the same time so mournful, has disappeared 
from the buildings of the modern city. The Mu- 
nicipality obliges every one to keep the exterior of 
his house in proper repair, and where any one 
neglects to do so, it is done for him at the public 
expense, and the bill sent in to him to pay. Hun- 
dreds of tons of lime have been expended in 
cleansing the dirty cobweb-hung house fronts of 
five years ago, with a proportion ately purifying 
effect. The streets are well paved, and side walks 



14 Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



have been laid down, so that it is no longer neces- 
sary to cripple one's feet upon the opus reticulatum 
v of basalt upon which, until recently, all were con- 
demned to walk. Instead of a dispirited, impover- 
ished population, of which the majority seemed 
to be formed of priests, monks, and foreign soldiers, 
there is now an active bustling people, thriving, 
working, and evidently prospering. 

But it is not only in cleaning the outside of the 
platter that work has been done ; numbers of old 
tumble-down houses have been thrown down, and 
handsome edifices erected in their stead, and a 
Drainage. magnificent system of drainage, has not only been 
commenced, but nearly completed. First one and 
then another of the main streets have been impass- 
able for months, while enormous subterranean gal- 
leries, equal almost in size to the Cloaca Maxima, 
have been constructed beneath them ; and through 
the excavations the Italian Government have carried 
out so extensively among the remains of the ancient 
city, the ancient drains — than which none finer 
were ever constructed — have in many places been 
discovered, cleared of the rubbish with which they 
were choked, and converted once more to use. 
These excavations, while of the highest scientific 
value from an historical and archaeological point of 
view, have not only added immensely to those ob- 
jects of interest which attract strangers from all 
parts of the world, but have contributed in no 
small measure to the health of the city. 

A great portion of the modern level of the 
Forum was occupied by an extensive cemetery be- 



Introduction. 



15 



longing to the Hospital of the Consolazione. It 
covered nearly half the area cleared since 1870, 
and was in use till a comparatively recent period. 
The bones were lying within eighteen inches of the 
surface, and were in thick layers, for a depth of 
many feet, in some places solid masses of corruption. 
All this has been swept away. 

On another part of the Forum three yards of 
water were found, the consequence of an unknown, 
spring pent up below the accumulation, but spread- 
ing beneath and continually sending forth noxious 
vapours during the hotter months. In the imme- The Cloaca 
diate neighbourhood of this spring the ancient Maxuna " 
Cloaca Maxima, choked up with rubbish, was 
found. This has been cleared, the spring — to carry 
off the water of which was one of the original 
causes of its construction — has been turned into 
it, and thus from an evil has been converted into 
an advantage to the health of the city. A number 
of small drains passing close under the modern 
surface have been removed, and their course turned 
into the Cloaca Maxima. 

But it would occupy too much space to enume- Not? inter- 
rate here the beneficial effects the extensive exca- 
vations carried out in all directions have had upon 
the health of the city. Some mention must be 
made of what they have done for science, and in 
contributing to the enjoyment of strangers, who, 
without going more than superficially into archae- 
ological matters, are all more or less desirous of 
visiting those spots rendered almost sacred to them 
through that most pleasant part of their early 



16 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



studies in school or college — the history of Rome. 
Twenty years ago a very considerable portion of 
those remains of ancient Rome, which now form the 
chief objects of interest to the visitor, were buiied 
out of sight under thousands of tons of accumula- 
tion. First, Padre Marchi and Signor de Rossi, 
on behalf of the Commission of Sacred Archaeology, 
commenced the excavations in the Catacombs, 
which have had such important results. Next, in 
1855, H, H. Pius IX. commenced the excavations 
at Ostia ; then nothing but a few unrecognisable 
ruins and mounds of rubbish, now a second 
Kecent Esca- Pompeii. In 1857, Father Mullooly discovered 

Tations. 

the original Basilica of St. Clement, by commenc- 
ing that excavation, the results of which are of the 
deepest interest to all scholars, and to all 
Christians. In 1861, the lata Emperor Napoleon 
III. bought the Farnese Orchards, on the Palatine, 
and, sweeping away vineyards and vegetable 
gardens, gradually restored to light the magnificent 
remains of the Palace of the Caesars. In 1867, 
the guardhouse of the VII. Cohort of Vigiles, 
was excavated. In September, 1870, the Italian 
government, confirming Signor Rosa in the office 
he had so admirably filled in conducting the ex- 
cavations for the Emperor Napoleon on the 
Palatine, recommenced the excavation of the 
Forum, which up to that time had not been ex- 
tended further than for a very limited space 
around and in front of the Column of Phocas; 
the excavation of the Baths of Caracalla down to 
the original pavement ; the excavation of the 



Introduction. 



17 



Colosseum, now in progress ; the excavation of the 
magnificent remains of the Villa of Hadrian, at 
Tivoli ; and the energetic continuance of the ex- 
plorations of the ancient city of Ostia. 

The interest in the results of these important church cere- 
monies. 

excavations far more than compensate for the dis- 
continuance of those grand church ceremonies 
which once attracted so many visitors to Home. 
When those sumptuous ecclesiastical pageants are 
likely to be renewed it is impossible to say, but in 
the meantime those who are interested in the 
majestic ritual of the Roman church can have 
their desire gratified by informing themselves as 
to what great Saints' days occur during their stay 
in Rome, and attending the ceremony at the 
principal church dedicated to him or her, as the 
case may be. Some of these formed great at- 
tractions in past times, on account of the music, 
which in some churches, and with the exception 
of the Miserere, was but little, if anything, 
inferior to that given during the great papal 
festivals. Of those, which are now performed 
with even greater ceremony than before, may be 
mentioned — 

January 23rd, Feast of St. Agnes, at her Basilica, beyond 
the Porta S alalia. 

January 25th, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, at Ms 
Basilica, outside the walls. 

February 1st, Feast of St. Ignatius, at St. Cleinente— the 
Subterranean Basilica illuminated. 

4th Monday in Lent, Feast of the Santi Quattrolncoronafci, 
at their Basilica. 

March 25th, Feast of the Annunciation, at Sta. Maria 
Sopra Minerva. 
C 



18 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



April 25th, Feast of St. Mark, at his Basilica. 

May 3rd, Feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross, at Sta. 
Croce, in Gerusalenmie. 

May 26th, Feast of St. Filippo Neri, at the Chiesa Nuova. 

June 24th, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, with fine 
music ; also at the Vespers on the previous evening. 

June 4th, Corpus Domini, at St. Peter's. This festa, 
although celebrated now on a much diminished scale, 
is well worth attending. 

June 29th, Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, at St. Peter's. 

August 1st, Feast of St. Peter in chains, at St. Pietro in 
Vinculi. 

August 15th, Feast of the Assumption, at Sta. Maria 
Maggiore. 

August 25th, Feast of St. Louis, at St. Luigi dei Francese. 

September 8th, Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, at Sta. 
Maria del Popolo. 

November 1st, Feast of All Saints, at St. Lorenzo, outside 
the walls, and at all the principal churches. 

November 4th, Feast of St. Carlo Borromeo, at St. Carlo al 
Corso. 

November 22nd, Feast of St. Cecilia — fine music ; and also 
at the Vespers on the previous evening. 

November 23rd, Feast of St. Clement, at his Basilica. 

December 27th, Feast of St. John the Evangelist, at St. 
John Lateran ; also Vespers the previous evening. 

December 31st, Feast of St. Sylvester, at his church, in the 
Piazza San Sylvester; and in the afternoon a Te 
Deum, at the Gesu. 

Jubhee. While these pages were passing through the 

press His Holiness Pius the Ninth proclaimed 
the long-delayed Jubilee, or Holy Year, which 
used to be celebrated every twenty-five years. 
Fifty years, however, have rolled by since the last 
Jubilee was held, in 1825, under the Pontificate of 
Leo XII. When the twenty-fifth anniversary came 
round, Pius IX. was in exile at Gaeta. 

It has been generally supposed that Boniface 
VIII. instituted the Jubilee, in the year 1300— 



Introduction. 



19 



that Jubilee which forms such an era in mediaeval 

history, which has been so eloquently described 

by many authors, and which furnished a simile 

for Dante, when he wanted to describe a multitude 

in motion, and he alludes to the regulation for 

rendering the crossing of the bridge of St. Angelo 

possible by the crowds which flocked to Rome : — 

Even as the Eomans, for the mighty host, 
The Year of Jubilee, upon the bridge, 
Have chosen a mode to pass the people over ; 
For all upon one side tovrards the Castle 
Their faces have, and go unto Saint Peter's; 
On the other side they go towards the Mountain.* 
— Inf. xviii. 28, Longfellow's Translation. 

But the Jubilee had been introduced into the 
Roman Church by far earlier Pontiffs, who drew 
the idea from the Sabbatical Year of the Mosaic 
Dispensation, as Boniface is recorded to have 
learned from manuscripts which were consulted 
in his days ; and Panciroli, says an aged pilgrim, 
who came to the Jubilee of 1300, declared, in the 
presence of Boniface and his nephew, Cardinal 
San Giorgio, that he had been at Rome with his 
father a century previous, on the same occasion. 
But the earliest Bull existing on the Jubilee is 
that promulgated by Boniface VIII., beginning 
" Antiquorum fides." 

In past times the Jubilee was proclaimed by the 
Bull of Preparation issued on the previous Ascen- 
sion Day, and the year commenced on Christmas 
Eve, with the grand ceremony of opening the 

* The "mountain," monti, alluded to by Dante, was Monte Giordano, 
the slight elevation so named on the opposite side of the bridge from 
the Castle of St. Angelo. 



20 Tourist's Ha?idbooJc to Home. 

Porta Santa, the Holy Door, at St. Peter's— a 
ceremony which the Pope has this time omitted; 
in fact, the present Jubilee was not proclaimed — 
or rather the Encyclicale announcing it was not 
signed by Pius IX. until the very moment when, 
under other circumstances, the vestibule of the 
great Basilica would have been crowded with the 
faithful, from the visible head of the Church to the 
poorest pilgrim. 
The Holy All persons who have visited Rome will remem- 

Door. 

ber a walled up doorway, with a cross upon it, to 
the right as one enters the vestibule. The filling 
in of brickwork having been previously loosened, 
this door was approached by the Pope, who came 
down the Scala Begia in solemn procession, at- 
tended by the Papal Court and a number of Car- 
dinals and Prelates. His Holiness first knelt do"wn 
for a few moments in solemn prayer, and then, 
holding a lighted wax torch in his left hand, 
struck the Porta Santa thrice with a silver ham- 
mer, at the same time intoning the Psalm Aperite 
mihi portas justitia. Then the Grand Penitentiary 
took the silver hammer and beat other three blows 
upon the door. After whom the same ceremony 
was performed in turn by two of the penitentiaries, 
and then, with the assistance of the masons inside, 
down fell the door, crashing into pieces upon the 
pavement within, and over the ruin the Pope, fol- 
lowed by all present, entered the Basilica. The 
fragments were speedily removed — not, however, 
by persons appointed for the purpose, but carried 
off, piecemeal, by the thousands present, anxious to 



Introduction. 



21 



secu re a relic. The door only re mained open during 
vespers, after which it was again closed until the 
next year of Jubilee came round. 

After the Pope had opened the Porta Santa at St. 
Peter's, he deputed three cardinals to perform the 
same ceremony at the other three great Basilicas — 
St. Paul's outside the walls, St. John Lateran, 
arid Santa Maria Maggiore. 

The principal devotion of the Jubilee consists in visiting the 
visiting the four great Basilicas on the same day, Basmoa ' , • 
after having confessed and received the Sacrament, 
and for this liberal indulgences are granted. Three 
other Basilicas — St. Sebastian, Sta. Croce in Geru- 
salemme, and St. Lorenzo outside the walls — com- 
plete the mystical number — seven ; and these the 
more devout visit, at the same time all laying offer- 
ings at the foot of the Pontifical Throne. 

After having closed the Porta Santa, the Pope 
proclaimed the indulgences of the Jubilee, and the 
Holy Year commenced, to end at the ensuing 
Christmas. 

According to the following chronology of Jubi- Chronology 

i TT ofJubileta. 

lees, or Holy lears (drawn from Mannis Storm 
degli Anni Santi, down to 1750), the current year 
makes the twenty-first Jubilee since that of 
Boniface VIII., in 1300: — 

1st Jubilee. — The first Jubilee was celebrated by Boniface 
VIII., in 1300. 

2nd— Next followed the Jubilee of 1350, under Clement 
VI., who was sitting at Avignon, and the Eternal City 
was in her extremest ruin and loneliness. The pilgrims 
who streamed thither in thousands from all parts of 
Europe saw broken walls, falling houses, ruined tem- 
ples. The Lateran Basilica was at that time roofless, 



22 Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



exposed to wind and rain. The Eomans sent an 
embassy to the Pope, at Avignon, imploring him to 
return ; and adding supplications to reduce the space 
of time between the Jubilees from one hundred to 
fifty years. It was Petrarch who asked and obtained 
this last petition. 

3rd.— The third Jubilee was celebrated in 1390, by Boni- 
face IX., the Pope having returned to Rome, and 
further reduced the space between recurring Jubilees 
to 33 years (the years of Christ). 

4th. — There is some confusion between the preceding 
Jubilee and that of 1400, but I find this latter re- 
corded as granted by Boniface IX. 

5th. — Much uncertainty also reigns as to the Jubilee said 
to have been celebrated by Martin V., in 1433. 

6th. — Now we return to greater certainty. In 1450, the 
Jubilee was celebrated by Nicholas V. It was on this 
occasion that the throng of pilgrims was such as to 
cause the deaths of 200 persons on the bridge of St. 
Angelo, when some were trampled under foot, some 
pushed into the Tiber. This was a very rich Jubilee, 
and the funds amassed by it were expended by the 
Pontiff in rebuilding churches, repairing the city 
walls, fortifying the Castle of St. Angelo, and even 
the Vatican. 

7th. — Pope Paul II. having further shortened the period 
between the Jubilees to twenty-five years, the Jubilee 
of 1475 was celebrated by Sixtus IV., and an inscrip- 
tion recording it is on his tomb hi St. Peter's. It was 
towards the end of this Jubilee, in the month of 
November, that the Tiber rose so high as to prevent 
the pilgrims from reaching San Paolo fuori le Mura 
except by boats. 

8th. — The Jubilee of 1500 was celebrated by Alexander VI., 
who, according to some authors, was the first Pontiff 
who opened the Porta Santa with the silver hammer. 

9th. — Clement VII. celebrated the Jubilee of 1525, when 
the number of pilgrims was greatly diminished, owing 
to the Eeformation in Germany. 

10th. — Julius III. celebrated the Jubilee of 1550. 

11th. — Gregory XIII. celebrated the Jubilee of 1575. 

12th.— Clement VIII. celebrated the Jubilee of 1600. 

13th.— Urban VIII. celebrated the Jubilee of 1625. 

14th. — Innocent X. celebrated the Jubilee of 1650. 

15th.— Clement X. 1675. 

16th.— Clement XI. 1700. 



Introduction. 



23 



17th.— Benedict XIII. celebrated the Jubilee of 1725. 
18th.— Benedict XIV. celebrated the Jubilee of 1750. 
19th.— The Jubilee of 1775, exactly a century ago, was 

celebrated by Pius VI. Between that and the twentieth 

Jubilee, under 

20th.— Leo XII., in 1825— a period of fifty years— rolled the 
tremendous ocean of the French Eevolution. 

2lst. — Another half century was to elapse before the Pope 
could find Europe sufficiently cairn to render another 
Jubilee possible. Let us hope that His Holiness Pius 
IX. may be gratified by the concurrence of numerous 
pilgrims to Eome during this Anno Santo. 

In addition to the religious festivals we have National 
now the great National Festas, on which occasions 
all interested in the welfare and progress of Italy 
will find it well worth while to be in Rome. From 
the earliest hours in the morning the houses are 
decorated with nags; the day is generally cele- 
brated in some manner especially arranged for 
the ■ occasion, and in the evenings the principal 
streets and public buildings are illuminated, and 
bands play in the different Piazzas. 

These National Fetes are as follows : — 

April 23rd, the Foundation of Borne. 

First Sunday in June. Celebration of the Constitution ; 
the Magna Charta of Italy granted by Charles Albei t . The 
celebrated fireworks and Gikandola, which used to be 
exhibited from the Pincio on Easter Monday, are given on 
this occasion from the Castle of St. Angelo. 

September 20th. Anniversary of the Liberation of Eome. 
A procession is made to the spot, outside the Porta Pia, 
where the wall was breached ; and in the evening, in addi- 
tion to the customary illuminations, the inhabitants of the 
Trastevere, who claim to be direct descendants from the 
.ancient Eomans, generally illuminate their streets in a 
most picturesque manner, as a protest against the assertion 
made by the Ultramontanes, that the " real Eomans" were 
opposed to the union between Eome and Italy. 



24 Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



Plebeian October 2nd. Anniversary of the Plebiscite, celebrated 

iuamina- by the distribution of prizes to the 15,000 children of the 
10US * national schools, opened for the first time after the change 

of government in 1870. The ceremony is held on the 
Capitol, and is one of the most interesting and charming- 
sights it is possible to witness. In addition to the usual 
illuminations, the inhabitants of the Monti, who claim to 
be the descendants of the Eomans of the middle ages, 
generally take this occasion to illuminate their quarter, as 
the Trasfcevere do theirs on the 20th of September. These 
"Plebeian illuminations" have a very distinctive character 
of their own, and are especially worth seeing. 

Both the Author and Publishers of this Guide are 
altogether averse from distinguishing any Profes- 
sional men, Bankers, Merchants, or Tradespeople, 
from others, as especially worthy of patronage or 
custom; and still more particularly so from fol- 
lowing the course adopted hitherto in works of 
the same description with this, of quoting the rate 
of fees to be given to professional men, or the 
prices to be paid at Hotels for the accommodation 
they afford, or at shops for the goods they sell. 
For the most part these latter must necessarily 
fluctuate in accordance with the rise and fall of 
prices, and the financial condition of the country 
Hotcicharges at the moment. Now that there are plenty of 

and Trades- 
men's prices. Hotels, affording different classes of accommoda- 
tion, nothing is easier for the traveller than to 
change if he finds the prices charged to be higher 
than the accommodation and fare would seem to 
justify. Scenes not very creditable to our country- 
men sometimes occur, when, having received their 
bill, they take up a Guide Book, and accuse re- 
spectable Hotel-keepers of dishonesty, because the 
charges made do not agree with those quoted there- 
in, and which, had the traveller the opportunity of 



Introduction. 



25 



examining the past editions of the work, he would 
see had been quoted at the same rate for a series, 
and sometimes a long series, of years, during which 
rent and the prices of commodities had risen con- 
siderably. 

The same remarks apply to shops. 

As, however, the traveller who is merely passing 
through Rome may be at loss for professional 
advice, or as to where conveniently to supply him- 
self with articles he may require, the following 
names are mentioned, and they are necessarily 
few, for this work is not intended to serve as a 
directory. 

English Physicians : — Dr. Gason, 81, Via della Croce ; 
Dr. Grigor, 3, Piazza di Spagna ; and Dr. Small, 56, 
Babuino. 

American Physician: — Dr. Gould, 107, Via Babuino. 
German Physician :— Dr. Erhardt, 15, Via Maria di' Fiori. 

Homoeopathic Physician: — Dr. Liberali, 69, Via della 
Frezza. 

American Dentist: — Dr. J. B. Wasson, 107, Via Babuino. 

Bankers: — Maquay, Hooker, and Co., 20, Piazza di 
Spagna ; Spada, Flamini & Co. , 20, Via Condotti ; Plowden 
& Co., 50, Via della Mercede ; Theo. Binder, 9, Via Condotti. 

Painters : — Penry Williams, 12, Piazza Mignanelli ; 
Luther Terry, 8, Via degii Incurabile ; Arthur Strutt, 81, 
Via della Croce ; Kolliu Tilton, 20, Via San Basilio ; H. 
P. Biviere, 68, Via Sistina ; Henry Coleman, 16, Vicolo 
Zucchelli ; Achille Guerra ; Vertunni, 53, Via Margutta ; 
Fattorini, 89, Via Margutta; Carlo Possenti, 18, Passeg- 
giata di Bipetta ; Keeley Halswelle, 36, Via de Greci; Chas. 
Coleman, 33, Via Margutta ; Cammerano, 72, Via San 
Niccolo da Tolentino. 

Scutytors : — Laurence Macdonald, 7, Piazza Barberim ; 
Shakspere Wood, 504, Corso ; Holme Cardwell, 13, Via 
Tordinona ; Arthur Pattisson, 7a, Yicolo San JSiccolo da 
Tolentino; Bandolph Bogers, 53b, Via Margutta; Jos. 
Swinnerton, Trimta di Monte ; Charles Summers, 72, Via 
di San Niccolo da Tolentino. 

Antiquities : — Depoletti, Via Leoncino, leading from the 
Via Fontanella Borghese. People should be very careful 



26 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



where they make their purchases under this head, so many 
spurious antiquities are imported. 

Baker (English) :— 88, Via della Croce. 

Boarding House : — Misses Smith, 93, Piazza di Spagna. 

Bookseller and Publisher :— Spithoever, 85, Piazza di 
Spagna. 

Bookbinder : — Olivieri, 49, Piazza di Spagna. 

Bronze Ornaments and Marble Tazze : — Kainaldi, 51a, 
Babuino. 

Bronze Statuettes : — Bohrich, 104, Via Sistina ; Chiapa- 
nelli, 92, Via Babuino. 

Cameos: — Paolo Neri, 73, Babuino. 

Carriages: — Fedeli, Piazza dellmpresa. 

Chemist and Druggist : — Baker, 497, Corso. 

Cigars : — 241, Corso. 

Confectioner : — Spillman (Fratelli), 10, Via Condotti ; 
sends out dinners, and furnishes ball suppers. 

Gloves: — Anna Ugolini, 39, Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina. 

Grocer : — Lowe, 76, Piazza di Spagna. 

Homoeopathic Chemist : — Baker, 497, Corso. 

Italian Masters : — A. Nalli, 63, Via della Purificazione ; 
Pio Molajoni, 57, Piazza di Sora. 

Lawyer: — Avocato F. Pifferi, 55, Via Fontanella Bor- 
ghese, ult. po., for cases in the Boman courts and inter- 
national legal business. 

Library and Beading Boom : — Piale, 1, Piazza di Spagna. 

Milliners and Dressmakers : — Giovanetti, 50 to 53, Campo 
Marzo ; Massoni, Palazzo Simonetti, Corso. 

Monuments (Sepulchral): — Giuseppe Sassi, 74, Via San 
Basilic 

Milkman : — Serafine, Via delle Virgine. 
Old Lace : — Barni, 48, Corso. 

Photographs : — Alessandri, 12, Corso. Views of Borne 
and Cartes de Visite. 

Printseller :— Baggi, 329, Corso. 

Bestanrants :— Morteo, 196, Corso ; The Lepre, Via 
Condotti. 

Boman Jewellery : — Civilotti, 94, Piazza di Spagna. 
Boman Pearls : -Bei, 122, Babuino. 
Boman Scarves : — Bianchi, 82, Piazza della Minerva. 
Bosaries : — Canori Focardi, 94, Piazza di Spagna. 



Introduction. 



27 



Shoemaker: — Luigi Lucketti, 11, Piazza St. Agostino. 

Singing Master : - Professor KotoK, 78, Via Borgognona. 

Tailor : — Evert, 77, Piazza Borgkese. 

Terra-Cotta Statuettes: — 64, Via del Seminario. 

Watchmaker : — Carlo Ansorge, 72, Piazza di Spagna. 

Wines (Italian) : — Societa Vinicola, 32 and 33, Via della 
Croce. 

PROTESTANT CHURCHES. 

The Church or England, first edifice to the left outside Protestant 
the Porta del Popolo. Services : 11 a.m., 3 p.m. Churches. 

The American Church, the next edifice beyond he 
English Church, outside the Porta del Popolo. Services : 
11 a.m., 3.30 p.m. 

The Scotch Presbyterian Church, a little beyond the 
American Church. Services: 11 a.m., 3 p.m. 

Trinity Church, in support of the Evangelical principles 
of the Church of England, Piazza San Sylvestro. Services : 
11 a.m., 3 p.m. 

American Church, oh the basis of the Evangelical 
Alliance, 21, Via Condotti. Service : 11 a.m. 

The Rev. James Wall's ArosTouc Church and Schools, 
Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina. Service : 11am., 7.30 p m. 

Italo-American Home, Schools, Sunday Schools, Indus- 
trial Classes and Kindergarten, under the direction of Mrs. 
E. B. Gould, 106, Via in Arcione. Mrs. Gould is always 
happy to receive friends of her mission work at the above 
address daily (excepting Saturdays), from eleven to half- 
past one o'clock. 



The British Embassy, Palazzo del Gallo, Foro Trajano. Embassies, 

The British Consulate, 378, Corso. &0 ' 

The American Embassy, 35, Via Fontanella Borghese. 

The American Consulate, 64, Via Napoli. 

English Club, 78, Via della Croce. 

The British Academy of Fine Arts, Via Sistina. 

Post Office, Piazza Colonna, There are two mails for 
England each day ; letters must be posted before 8 p.m. 
and 7.45 a.m. 

Telegraph Office, 111, Piazza Monte Citorio. Ames- 
sage to London of 20 words, in which address and names 
are counted, costs 9 francs. There is an additional charge 
for messages sent to any other part of Great Britain. 



ROUTES TO AND FROM ROME. 



" All Roads Lead to Rome," is a fact as literally true 
in this age of railways and steam communication, as it was 
proverbially correct in the times of the Csesars, when 
" Roman roads " intersected the main lines of continents. 
But, during the reign of Pius IX., railways were very 
sluggish in their approaches to the " Eternal City," and 
there were few districts where travelling was more difficult, 
or attended with more inconveniences. Even the sea was, 
in a sense, but partially open for passenger traffic to Civita 
Vecchia, the Italian mail steamers not having access to 
that port. 

After the railways connecting Florence with the Alps 
had been completed, it was still a difficult, protracted, and 
expensive journey from Tuscany through the " States of 
the Church " to their capital ; and whilst suspicion of 
advancing encroachment continued, the impression pre- 
vailed that the railway works were intentionally retarded, 
and it was only by slow degrees, and bit by bit, that the 
Roman lines were eventually carried to completion. The 
coast line, intersected by a tedious and unpleasant diligence 
ride of six to eight hours, from Nunziatella to Civita 
Vecchia, was then the only railway route to Rome ; and 
that route was barred by custom houses and police, to the 
annoyance of all civilized travellers. The completion of 
the central line, via Perugia, Eoligno, and Terni quickened 
the action of the coast line contractors, and the completion 
of the two lines, succeeded by the annihilation of passport 
and custom house demands, placed Rome on a par with 



Routes to and from Borne. 



29 



other cities of continental Europe. Foligno became a junc- 
tion station for Ancona ; at Ceprano an unbroken connec- 
tion was effected with the Naples line, and now, from all 
sides, the approaches are completed, and it may be reiterated 
with truth "all roads lead to Rome." 

A third connecting link, via the Northern chain, unites 
Orte with Empoli, and thus is shown another central 
through route, between Florence and Rome, passing through 
Siena, and other places of interest. The distance from 
Pisa to Rome has been abbreviated by a short cut separat- 
ing the elbow at Leghorn, and ere these pages see the light, 
the Riviera line, from Spezzia to Genoa, will have been 
opened, thus completing a direct through line from Genoa 
to Rome — a line which must necessarily prove one of the 
most interesting tourist lines in the peninsula. There re- 
mains now but little to be desired in the through railway 
system of the Italian kingdom, and when the proprietary 
and management of the various divisions are satisfactorily 
arranged, no country will be able to show a better provision 
of railway accommodation than Italy. 

The international roads to Rome are now nearly all that 
the tourist can desire, and the ways will be still more per- 
fect on the completion of the St. Gotthard tunnel. From 
the north and the west travellers have choice of diligences 
by three Alpine passes — the Simplon, St. Gotthard, and 
Splugen; by the railway over the Semmering from Vienna, 
or over the Brenner from Munich and Innsbruck; under 
the Alps from Modane to Bardonnecche, for Turin; railway 
throughout from Paris via Lyons, Marseilles, Nice, Genoa; 
or thence from Marseilles to Genoa, Leghorn, Civita Vecchia, 
or Naples ; all these four railway routes, three diligence 
roads, and the Mediterranean steamboat routes lead to Rome. 



30 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



From the east there are equally direct facilities by the 
various lines of steamers to Italian ports, and thence by 
railways to Rome. 

From Greece, Turkey, all the Levantine ports, and direct 
from India, China, Japan, Australia, and other parts of the 
Orient, by the Red Sea, overland from Suez to Alexandria, 
or by Suez Canal to Naples, Civita Vecchia, Leghorn, 
Genoa, Brindisi, Ancona, Trieste or Yenice, and from all 
these ports by railway direct to Rome. All round the 
world, from any part of the vast circumference, coming- 
eastward or westward, all roads lead to Rome ; and, under 
the combined tourist ticket arrangements, mainly planned 
and perfected by Thomas Cook & Son, through facilities 
are offered for coming to Rome on a single payment pre- 
vious to starting. The routes from England, France, 
Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, and Austria may be 
shown in more minute detail. 

From London to Paris by Dover, Boulogne, Brighton, 
Newhaven, or Southampton. From Paris by Mont Cenis, 
Turin, Florence, Foligno, Rome, the shortest and cheapest 
route, the entire journey from Paris to Rome being accom- 
plished by Express Trains in about forty-six hours. 

Going by Mont Cenis, other routes from Turin are by 
Genoa, Spezzia, Pisa, and Civita Vecchia ; or from Pisa to 
Empoli, Siena, and Orte ; or from Turin to Bologna, 
Ancona, and Foligno. 

Another route from Paris is by Dijon, Macon, Lyons, 
Marseilles, Nice, San Remo, Genoa, and by coast or central 
routes to Rome. 

There are also routes from Paris — by Paris, Lyons, and 
Mediterranean, or East of France Lines, to Switzerland; 
and from Switzerland by way of the Alpine diligence roads 



Routes to and from Rome. 



3] 



to Milan, and from Milan direct to Bologna, Florence, and 
thence by any of the previously-noted routes by Foligno, 
Pisa, or Siena, and to Rome. From Milan also, the Genoa 
and Pisa or the Ancona a,nd Foligno routes are practicable. 

In addition to these various routes through France, there 
is another connection of lines from London via Dover and 
Ostend, or by Plarwich and Antwerp, by the Luxembourg 
Railway to Bale ; or by the Rhine to the same point in 
Switzerland, and then by the St. Grotthard or Splugen to 
Milan. Another route by the Rhine is to Mayence, Darm- 
stadt, Wurzburg, Munich, Innsbruck, over the Brenner to 
Verona, Padua (Venice or not at discretion), Bologna, and 
all other southerly routes as already indicated. Or a wider 
range may be taken from Munich to Vienna direct, or by 
Dresden, Prague, &c, over the Semmering to Trieste, or 
direct to Venice, and thence by the routes already indicated, 
by Ancona or Florence, and from Florence by way of three 
roads — Foligno, Siena, or Pisa to Rome. 

Thus for English, American, and Continental travellers 
there is not a capital in the world that has more converging- 
roads leading to it than the capital of Italy. 

The facilities for travelling through and around Italy 
surpass in cheapness and completeness of arrangement those 
of any other country. The system of Excursions and Tours, 
inaugurated by Mr. Thomas Cook in 1863, has been ex- 
tended and improved until it now covers nearly all 
tourist lines and attractive districts. 

From Rome all the routes indicated above are just as 
practicable and easy as they are for going there, and it is 
not necessary to repeat their various details. But there are 
considerations of special interest to visitors and temporary 
or permanent residents in Rome. The geographical posi- 



32 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



tion, as well as the travelling facilities, are alike favourable 
for travellers and tourists desirous of visiting the East, 
after spending the greater part of the winter in Rome. 
From Rome to Egypt is but a journey of about six days ; to 
Jerusalem of ten days ; to Athens of seven or eight days ; and 
to Constantinople about the same time. Nothing in circular 
arrangement can be better than to go from Rome to Egypt 
(by Naples or Brindisi), up the Nile, and back to Cairo; 
through Palestine to Bey rout; thence through Asia Minor 
to Constantinople, Athens, Corfu, Trieste, Austria, and 
Germany ; or from Trieste by Venice and North Italy to 
Switzerland and France. Most travellers now going to the 
East avail themselves of the opportunity of including Rome 
in the outward or homeward journey. Americans can go 
from Rome to New York by the Austrian Steamers and their 
connections, from Naples, or Genoa, without the necessity 
of retracing their course through Europe ; and when Spain 
is again settled, and free and safe for tourists and ordinary 
travellers, it will be very easy to get there from Rome. 
Excellent arrangements are now completed for connecting 
Rome with Sicily, Malta, Algeria, and nearly all the 
Islands of the Mediterranean. Thos. Cook and Son issue 
tickets for all these combinations, from or to Rome. The 
old proverb may be reversed, and with equal truth it may 
be said, All the Roads lead from Rome. 



AKKIVAL, 

The traveller enters Rome by the Central Railway 
Station, situated on the Esquiline Hill. The approach is 
through an aperture made in the wall of fortification — built 
by Aurelian — at a spot situated about midway between 
the gates called the Porta Maggioee and the Porta San 
Lorenzo. After passing through the wall, a picturesque 
ruin, partly overgrown with ivy, is seen on the left. This 
is commonly called the Temple of Minerva Medica, 
because of the discovery there of a very fine statue of 
Minerva, now in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican, No. 114. 

As the train slackens its speed just before entering the 
station, a glance may be caught of a bit of the Agger of 
Servius Tullius, of which a considerable portion, extending 
for several hundred yards, in a perfect condition, was dis- 
covered when the area was levelled for its present purpose — an 
operation which necessitated the ahnost entire destruction of 
this magnificent vestige of antiquity built by Servius Tullius 
between the years 564-560 B.C. The wall was so massive 
that in many places it had to be blown to pieces with gun- 
powder. One fragment, composed of great square blocks of 
tufa and p&perino, was allowed to remain ; and if the place is 
not too full of trains, it will be seen on the right-hand side. 

On leaving the station — not yet entirely completed — we 
enter the Piazza de Termini, once the great stadium of the 
Therms of Diocletian, the massive ruins of which, deformed 
by alterations made in past times, to convert them into hay- 
lofts, are seen on the right. The splendid jet of water rising 

to a great height is the Fountain of the Aqua Marcia, 
d 



34 Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 

re-introduced into Home by an English, company in the 
year 1870. It is the finest water brought into the city, 
and was so considered in ancient times, when the inhabitants 
were supplied from many sources. Originally introduced by 
the Praetor Quintus Marcius Rex B.C. 146, it was used till 
the ninth century, when the aqueduct which conveyed it 
was broken. The source of the Aqua Marcia is situated near 
the thirty- sixth mile on the Valerian Way, but the aqueduct 
followed a course of more than sixty miles in length. 

At the further extremity of the Piazza de Termini the 
Fountain of the Aqua Felice, commonly called the Foun- 
tain of the Termini, is passed. It was designed by 
Domenico Fontana, when Sixtus V. ordered the construc- 
tion of the aqueduct which brings in the water, called 
after him the Aqua Felice.* At that time the inhabitants 
were suffering through an insufficient- supply, and one of 
the first acts of Sixtus was to provide a remedy. On 
the day of his coronation, April 12, 1585, he signed a 
decree for the purchase of the source from the Colonna 
family, and the commencement of the work. Between 
two and three thousand men were employed ; considerable 
portions of the massive arcades of the Claudian Aqueduct 
were thrown down to provide the material ; and on the 
15th of June, 1587, the water issued through this fountain. 
The aqueduct constructed in so short a time is twenty-two 
miles in length, of which fifteen are subterranean and seven- 
above ground. 

The fountain is divided into three niches. That in the 
centre contains a colossal statue of Moses striking the rock ? 
by Prospero Scavezzi of Brescia. This sculptor possessed 
so inordinate an idea of his own abilities that he boasted he 

* The name of Sixtus V. was Eelix Peretti. 



The- Piazza di Spagna. 



would out- do Michael Angelo in his representation of the 
great law-giver ; but on his work being uncovered to the 
public, it excited such an amount of ridicule that he died 
shortly afterwards of grief and vexation. 

The lateral niches contain alto reliefs ; that on the left, by 
Giovanni Battista della Porta, represents Aaron leading the 
people to drink of the long-desired water ; that on the 
right, by Maminius Yacca, represents Gideon watching his 
soldiers drink. The bason was formerly ornamented by 
two antique lions in black granite — now in the Egyptian 
Museum of the Vatican — which were found in front of the 
Pantheon. They have been replaced by four in Bardiglio 
marble of modern workmanship. 

Proceeding along the Via Santa Susanna and the Via 
San Nicolo in Tolentino, the Piazza Baeberini is reached, 
in the centre of which is the fountain of the Triton, by 
Bernini, erected by order of Urban VIII., 1623-44, and 
supplied by the Aqua Felice. 

Thence, down the Via Tritone, and turning to the right 
along the Via de' due Macelli, brings us to the Piazza di 
Spagna, the centre of the English-speaking colony in Rome, 
and in or near which it is supposed the traveller will take 
up his abode. 

THE PIAZZA DI SPAGNA 

is generally believed to be the site of the jSTaumachia of 
Domitian, a maritime theatre, in which naval battles were 
given for the amusement of the people. In superficial 
measurement this Piazza is one of the largest in Rome; 
but it is ill-formed, and has but few pretensions to archi- 
tectural beauty. It is a long quadrangle of irregular form, 
extending from north to south, and terminating, as it were, 



36 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



almost in a point. The narrow end is bounded by the 
College of the Propaganda Fide, instituted by Gregory 
XV. The building was founded in the year 1627, by 
Urban VIIL, who entrusted its erection to Bernini, but it 
was finally completed by Borromino during the reign of 
Alexander VII., 1655-67. This is the great missionary 
establishment of Rome, and is now under the direction of 
the Jesuits. In it students from all parts of the world, 
even from the most remote, are educated, in order that they 
may be sent back to their own countries for the propagation 
of the Roman Catholic doctrines. The college possesses a 
remarkably fine library, and attached to it is a printing- 
office, in which works in all languages — not only Euro- 
pean, but Oriental— are printed. 

A short distance in front of this college stands the 
Column of the Immaculate Conception, erected by order 
of Pius IX., in commemoration of the promulgation of that 
dogma on the 8th of December, 1854. The shaft, which 
is antique — a vestige of the magnificence of ancient Home 
— is of that beautiful green and white marble of Carystus, 
commonly called Cipollino, from its resemblance to the 
onion. It supports a bronze statue of the Virgin, by 
Obici. The base is ornamented with bas reliefs, and four 
colossal statues — Moses, David, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. A 
flaw in the lower portion of the shaft necessitated the 
expedient of the bronze work to strengthen it. 

Facing the column, and situated between ISTos. 56 and 
58, is The Palazzo di Spagna, the residence of the Spanish 
ambassador, from which the Piazza takes its name. In the 
middle of the Piazza is the exceedingly quaint fountain in 
the shape of a boat, called The Barcaccia, erected in the 
time of Urban VIIL, from the design of Pietro Bernini, 



The Scalinata. 



37 



the father of the celebrated sculptor. The idea is said to 
have been suggested by a barge stranded at this spot 
during one of the great inundations, possibly that which 
occurred on the 24th of December, 1598, during the reign 
of Clement VIII., when the Piazza di Spagna was entirely 
covered. How high the water rose on that occasion may 
be seen by entering the passage of the house ISTo. 71, Via 
Condotti, close by, on the left wall of which is a tablet 
recording the event, and showing the height of the in- 
undation. The inundation of December, 1870, reached as 
far as the door of the Hotel d'Allemagne, which is close 
to this spot. The fountain is supplied by the Aqua Ver- 
gine. 

At the middle of the western side is the grand flight of 
steps called the Scalinata, designed by Francesco de 
Sanctis, and completed in the year 1725, at the expense of 
M. Stefano G-uemer, Secretary to the French Legation at 
Rome. On these steps groups of painters' and sculptors" 
models, dressed in the costumes of their native villages, are 
often to be seen sitting and reclining about, waiting to be 
hired. At the summit of the Scalinata stands the church 
of the Trinita de' Monti, and the Convent of the ]S~mis of 
the Sacre Goeur, in which is an educational establishment 
where the daughters of wealthy persons are received as 
boarders. The church was founded by Charles VIII. of 
France, in the year 1494, at the instigation of St. Francesco 
di Paola, and was consecrated by Paul V. on the 9th July, 
1595. It contains, among other works of art, the celebrated 
fresco of The Descent feom the Cross, painted by Daniele 
da Volterra, and considered to be his masterpiece. Poussin 
pronounced it to be the third greatest painting in the world, 
ranking after The Transfiguration, by Raphael, and The 



38 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Communion of St. Jerome, by Domenichino. Unfortunately 
it was much damaged by the French when they detached it 
from the wall, and placed it on canvas, with the intention 
of removing it to Paris. 

This church used to be much frequented by strangers, on 
Sundays and festivals, on account of the beautiful and 
devotional singing of the Nuns, but since 1870 it has been 
exceedingly difficult for any but well-known Catholics to 
obtain admission. 

The Obelisk in front of the church was erected by the 
architect Antinori in 1788, during the reign of Pius VI. 
It is believed to be that which ornamented the spina of the 
circus of Sallust. The height of the shaft is forty-three 
Roman feet, and from the ground to the top of the Cross 
one hundred feet. Cancellieri states that the Cross, which 
is of bronze, contains relics of the True Cross, of St. Joseph, 
St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Augu'stin, St. Pius V., and Sfc. 
Francesco di Paola. 

FROM THE PIAZZA DI SPAGNA TO ST. PETER'S 
AND THE VATICAN. 

Proceeding along the Via Condotti— so called from the 
conduits of the Aqua Vergine which pass beneath it — and 
which opens from the Piazza di Spagna at a point immedi- 
ately opposite the Scalinata, we pass on the right No. 68, 
the Palace of the Knights of Malta, and on the left No. 
40, the Monastery, with next to it the Church, dedicated 
to the Holt Trinity, of the Spanish Trinitarians. The 
church, founded in the year 1741, was built from the 
design of Emmanuele Rodriguez de S antes, a Portuguese 
architect. 



The Palazzo Borghese. 



39 



Traversing the Corso, the street takes the name of the 
Fontanella Borghese, on the right side of which, after 
passing No. 20, is 

THE PALAZZO BOKGHESE, 

the residence of Prince Borghese. This enormous palace 
was commenced in 1590 by Cardinal Dezza, from the 
designs of Martino Lnnghi, the elder. Before it was finished 
it was purchased by the great Borghese Pope, Paul V., 
who entrusted its completion to Plaminio Ponzio. The 
court or peristyle is particularly fine, being surrounded by 
double-storied porticoes, supported by 96 antique granite 
columns. The lower portico is of the Doric order, and the 
upper Ionic, with Corinthian pilasters. The court is orna- 
mented with several antique colossal statues. 

The picture gallery, one of the best private collections in 
Rome, is liberally thrown open to the public every day, 
except Saturdays and Sundays, between the hours of 10 
and 3. It is on the ground floor, the door being under the 
left portico. In each room are hand catalogues of the 
works that room contains, printed in the Italian and French 
languages, for the use of visitors. The more important 
works in each room are as follows : — 

Those marled with an asterisk are the gems of the collection. 



First 

1 — Holy Family : Sandro Botti- 

celli. 

2 — Madonna and Child : Lo- 

renzo di Credi. 

3 — Holy Family : Paris Alfani. 

4 — Portrait — Lorenzo di Credi. 
8 — Vanity : School of Leonardo 

da Vinci. 
27, 28 — Petrarch and Laura. 
30 — A Nazzareno : Perugino. 



Eoom. 

32 — St. Agatha: School of Leo- 

nardo. 

33— The Young Christ: School 

of Leonardo. 

34 — Madonna: Schoolof Perugino . 

35 — Raphael as aboy : Baphacl(?) 

36 — Portrait of Savonarola: F. 

Lip pi. 

43 — Madonna and Child: Fran- 
cesco Francia (?) 



40 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



44 — The Crucifixion : C. Crivelli. 

48 — St. Sebastian : Perugino. 

49, 57 — Two curious paintings of 
the events of the life of 
Joseph, with the name 
written under each figure : 
Pinturicchio. 

59 — Presepio : Sketch said to 
have been taken by Ra- 
phael when a boy. 



56 — Leda and the Swan : School 

of Leonardo. 
61 — St. Antonio : Francesco 

Francia. 

66 — Presepio : Mazzolino. 

67 — Adoration of the infant 

Jesus : Ortolano. 

68— Christ and St. Thomas ' 

Mazzolino (?) 

69 — Holy Family : Pollajuolo. 



Second Room. 



6 — Madonna with St. Joseph 
and St. Michael: Garofalo. 

9 — * The Deposition: Garofalo. 
18 — Portrait of Pope Julius II. : 
Giulio Romano after Ra- 
phael. 

21 — * Portrait of a Cardinal: 
Bronzino (?) attributed to 
Raphael. 

24— *Holy Family : School of 
Raphael. 

26 — *Portrait of Cffisar Borgia : 
Bronzino, attributed to 
Raphael. 

28 — Portrait of a Woman : Bron- 
zino. 

36 — Holy Family : Andrea del 
Sarto. 



38 — *The Entombment : Ra- 
phael, painted in his 24th 
year. 

40 — Holy Family: Fra Bartolo* 
meo. 

43 — Madonna & Child : Francia* 

44 — Madonna & Child : Sodoma. 
51 — *St. Stephen : Francesco 

Francia. 

59 — Adoration of the Magi : 

Mazzolino. 

60 — Presepio : Garofalo. 

65 — The Fornarina : copy from 
Raphael by Giulio Ro- 
mano. 

69 — St. John the Baptist in the 
Wilderness : Giulio Ro- 



mano. 



Third Room. 



1 — Christ bearing the Cross : 

Andrea Solario. 

2 — Portrait : Parmigiano. 

4 — Lucretia : Vasari. 

5 — "Noli me tangere : " Bron- 

zino (?) 

7, 8 — Apostles: Michael Angelo, 
painted on panel in his 
early manner. 
11 — The Sorceress Circe : Dosso 
Dossi. 

13 — Mater Dolorosa : Solario (?) 

18 — Leda : Vasari. 

24 — Madonna and. Child, with 
St. John and Angels : An- 
drea del Sarto. 

28— Madonna and Child, with St. 
John : Andrea del Sarto. 



29 — Madonna and Child, with 
St. John and St. Eliza- 
beth : Andrea del Sarto. 

33 — Holy Family: Pierino del 

Vaga. 

34— The Saviour and St. Cathe- 

rine : School of Bronzino. 

35 — Venus and Cupids : Andrea 

del Sarto. 
40 — *Danae : Correggio. 
42 — Portrait of Cosmo de Medici t 

Bronzino. 

46— The Reading Magdalen i 

School of Correggio. 

47 — Holy Family : Pomarancio. 

48— * The Flagellation. 

49 — Mary Magdalen : Andrea ddl 

Sarto. 



The Palazzo Borgliese. 



41 



FOUKTH EOOM. 



1 — Entombment: Annibale Ca- 

racci. 

2 — *Ctjmcean Sibyl : Domeni- 

chino. 

10 — The Rape of Europa : Cav. 

d'Arpino. 
15 — Sybil : Guido Gagnacci. 
18 — St. Francis : Cigoli. 
20 — St. Joseph : Guido Eeni. 

Fifth 

5 —Holy Family : Scipione Gae- 
tano. 

• 6 — The Flagellation : Cav. d 1 
Arpino. 

11, 12, 13, 14— The Four Seasons : 
Albani. 

15 — * Diana with her Nymphs: 
Domenichino. 



21 — Lucretia : Elisabetta Sirani. 

28 — St. Francis : Ann. Caracci. 

29 — St. Domenic: Ann. Caracci. 
37 — Mater Dolorosa: CarloDolce. 

42 — Head of Christ : CarloDolce. 
36 — Madonna and Child : Carlo 

Dolce. 

43 — Madonna and Child : Sasso- 

ferrato. 

Eoom. 

25— The Deposition: F. Zuc- 

cheri. 

26 — Madonna and Child with St. 

Anne : Garavaggio. 

27 — Venus Dressing: Padova- 

nino. 



Sixth Eoom. 



1 — The Madonna Adolorata : 

Guercino. 
5 — Eeturn of the Prodigal Son : 

Guercino. 
7 — Portrait of G. Ghislieri: Pie- 

tro da Cortona. 
10 — *St. Stanislaus with the 

infant Christ : Bib era. 
12 — Joseph in Prison interpreting 

the Dreams : Valentin. 



13— The Three Ages of Man : 
Copy from Titian by Sas- 
soferrato. 

18 — Madonna : Sassoferrato. 

22— Flight of .Eneas from Troy : 

Baroccio. 

23— Venus : A fter Titian. 

24, 25 — Landscapes : Gaspar 
Poussin. 



Seventh Eoom. 

Called the Stanza degli Specchi, from the mirrors with which the 
walls are covered. These mirrors, made at a time when large sheets 
of glass were difficult to obtain, are formed by a number of pieces 
being put together, and the joints hidden by festoons of flowers and 
Cupids exquisitely painted ; the flowers hj Mario dei Fiori* and the 
Cupids by Giro Ferri. The result is to give the effect of a large sheet of 
glass with paintings upon it. In the centre of this room is a table 
formed of a great number of specimens of rare antique marbles. 

Eighth Eoom. 



87 — Orpheus (Mosaic). 
91 — Three Graces : Vanni. 
96— Orpheus: Brill. 



1 — Mosaic Portrait of Paul V, : 
Marcello Provenzali. 
33 — Landscape : Sa lvator Bosa. 
82 — Madonna and Child (Mosaic) 

* The well-known street leading from the Via della Croce to the Condotti is named 
after this painter. 



42 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Ninth Boom. 



Frescoes. 

1 — The Nuptials of Alexander 

and Boxana. 

2 — The Nuptials of Vertumnus 

and Pomona. 

3 — Archers Shooting at a Tar- 

get with the Arrows of the 

Sleeping Cupid. 
The two first were painted 
from the designs of Raphael by 
some of his scholars ; the third 
is said to have been designed by 
JJichael Angelo. These frescoes 

Tekti 

2— * Cupid Blindfolded by Ve- 

nus : Titian. 

3 — St. Cecilia : Paul Veronese. 

4 — Judith — School of Titian. 
9 — Portrait : Pordenone. 

13 — David with the Head of 

Goliath : Oiorgione. 

14 — *St. John Preaching in the 

Desert : Paul Veronese. 



were detached from the walls of 
a casino or summer-house, called 
after them the Casino of Baphael, 
in the grounds of the Villa Bor- 
ghese, destroyed during the siege 
by the French in 1849. 

The other frescoes in this room 
were painted by Giulio Romano, 
on the walls of the Villa Lante 
on the Janiculum, from which 
they were removed when it was 
converted into a convent. 



Boom. 

16— St. Domenic : Titian. 
19 — Portrait of himself : Bassano. 
21 — Sacked and Profane Love : 
Titian. 

36— Madonna & Child: Giovan 
Bellini. 

34— Saints Cosmo and Damiano : 
Paul Veronese. 



Eleventh Boom. 



1 — Madonna with S&ints : Lo- 

renzo Lotto. 

2 — St. Anthony Preaching to 

the Fishes : Paul Vero- 
nese (?) 

3 — Holy Family and St. John : 

Titian. 

11 — Venus and Cupid on Dol- 
phins : Luca Cambiaso. 

15 — * Jesus and the Mother of 
Zebedee's Children: Boni- 
fazio. 



16 — *Beturn of the Prodigal Son 

Bonifazio. 

17 — Samson : Titian. 

18 — Christ and the Woman taken 

in Adultery :. Bonifazio. 

19 — Madonna and Saints : Pal- 

ma Vecchio. 
25 — Portrait of himself : Titian. 
27 — Portrait : Giovan Bellini. 

31 — Madonna and St. Peter : 

Giovan Bellini. 

32— Holy Family: Raima Vec- 

chio. 



Twelfth Boom. 



1 — Crucifixion : Vandyke. 

7 — *The Entombment : Van- 

dyke. 

8 — Tavern Scene : Teniers. 

19 — Louis VI. of Bavaria: Albert 

Durer (?) 

20— Portrait : Holbein. 

21 — Landscape and Horses : 

Wouvermann. 



22— Cattle Piece : Paul Potter. 

23 — A Sea Piece : Backhuysen. 

24— Portrait : Holbein. 

26 — Skating : Berghem. 

27 — Portrait : Vandyke. 

35 — Portrait : Lucas von Ley- 
den (?). 

44 — Venus and Cupid : Lucas 
Cranach. 



The Theatre. 



43 



Turning to the right, on leaving the Borghese Palace, the 
street (which from this point bears a series of names — 
Piazza Borghese, Via del Clementino, Piazza Nicosia, Via 
di Monte Brianzo, Via dell Arco di Parma, and Via Tor- 
dinona), continnes in a direct line to the Piazza in front of 
the Bridge of St. Angelo. The large building on the right, 
before entering the Piazza, is the principal theatre of Rome 
— The Apollo — commonly called the Tordinona. On the 
site occupied by the Theatre there formerly stood a tower, 
builfc during the middle ages, to which condemned persons 
were taken the night before their execution, in order that 
they might be near the scaffold, which was erected on the 
area to the left of the bridge. The mournful procession, 
formed by the confraternity of the Penitents, conducting 
the prisoner to his last night's resting-place on earth, left 
the prison at nine o'clock : at the same moment the bell 
of the tower commenced tolling, to invite the prayers of 
the people ; and hence from this fatal hour the tower took 
the name — which the Theatre retains — of, La Tor di Nona : 
the tower of nine. It was in this tower that Beatrice Cenci 
slept on the night of Saturday, the 11th of September, 
1599, and in front of the procession which conveyed her 
thither was carried the banner on which Michael Angelo 
had, years before, painted The Pieta, on the condition that 
it was only to be used for such occasions. On the wall of 
the Theatre, immediately opposite No. 114, is a small marble 
tablet marking the extraordinary height to which the 
waters of the Tiber rose in December, 1870. Various 
other tablets may be seen in the streets of this part 
of the city showing the height of the inundation at 
those spots. Emerging from the street, we have before 
us a grand view of 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



THE BRIDGE AND CASTLE OF ST. ANGELO, 

an imperial tomb, the Mausoleum of Hadrian, turned into a 
fortress. The Mansoleum of Augustus, built to contain the 
ashes of the Imperial family, was full ; the last niche had 
been occupied by those of Nerva. Trajan had formed a 
sepulchre for his ashes in the column still existing ; and to 
provide a resting place for his own remains and those of his 
successors, Hadrian built the magnificent monument, which, 
as early as the time of Honorius, 393 — 403, was converted 
into a fortress, and became the centre for nearly all the 
faction fights for dominion, which have distracted the city 
from that day, nearly to our own. It was founded by 
Hadrian, together with the bridge, to give direct access to 
it — the same over which we pass — in the year 135 A.D. 
Two descriptions of the monument have come down to us — 
one written by Procopius, the other by Pope St. Leo. From 
these we learn that in its original form it was a grand 
circular mole 987 feet in circumference, standing on a square 
basement of considerable height, each side of which mea- 
sured 247 feet. 

It was entirely faced with massive blocks of the purest 
Parian marble. On the angles of the basement were 
groups of men and horses in bronze, of " admirable work- 
manship," and a range of marble statues ornamented the 
cornice. The summit was crowned by a colossal marble 
statue of the founder, the head of which is now in the 
Vatican Museum.* The gates were of gilt bronze, with 
gilded peacocks on the pilasters, two of which are also in 
the Vatican. Of this magnificent decoration nothing now 
remains. Of the ancient work all that is visible from the 



* No. 543 in the Rotunda. 



The Mausoleum of Hadrian. 



45 



outside, is a portion of the circular wall of the mole, 
formed of great blocks of peperino, on which the outer 
casing of marble was placed. The rest, both above and 
below, is covered by the works of fortification constructed 
at various periods. The statues on the summit perished 
when the place was attacked by the Goths under Vitiges, 
in f 537; they were flung down by the besieged upon their 
assailants. 

The first whose ashes were placed within the monument 
was ^Elius Ca3sar, the first adopted son of Hadrian, who 
died a.d. 138. Then those of the founder. After him 
followed Faustina the elder, a.d. 141, and ' Antoninus Pius, 
a.d. 161, together with the ashes of their two sons and a 
daughter, Aurelia Fadilla, who died before them. Lucius 
Veins; Marcus Aurelius, 180; Commodus, 192; Septimius 
Severus, 211; and the last, Caracalla, in 217. After this 
the monument was closed, till Alaric, in the year 409, 
opened it in search of treasure. He rifled the different 
tombs and urns, dispersed the ashes, and carried off all 
that was valuable. Of the internal arrangement of this 
monument nothing was known till 1825, when excavations 
were made, and it was found that the principal door was in 
the centre of the square basement facing the bridge. It 
opens upon a corridor leading to a large niche, which, 
it is conjectured, contained a statue of Hadrian. The walls 
are constructed of large squared blocks of travertine, and 
bear evidence of having been panelled with JSTumidian mar- 
ble; the pavement was mosaic, with a white ground. On 
the right side of the corridor, near the niche, commences 
an inclined spiral way, thirty feet high and eleven wide, 
leading up to the central chamber, which is in the form of 
a Greek cross. It is conjectured that the porphyry sar- 



46 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



cophagus, winch contained the ashes of Hadrian, occupied 
the centre of this chamber. About the year 1135 it was 
removed by Pope Innocent II. to the Lateran, in order 
that it might serve as his own tomb, and there it was de- 
stroyed by fire, in 1360. The cover, however, was saved, 
and was used for the tomb of the Emperor Otho II., in the 
Atrium of St. Peter's, until, on the building of the present 
Basilica, it was finally converted into the baptismal font, 
and is now in the first chapel on the left. 

The Castle has for many centuries been also used as a state 
prison. A cell is shown in which it is said that Beatrice 
Cenci was confined. Napoleon III. was a prisoner for a short 
time in the Castle of St. Angelo, after the affair of 1830. 

It received the name of the Castle of St. Angelo in con- 
sequence of a miraculous event which occurred in the year 
590. In that year the city was stricken by the plague, 
which carried off an enormous number of victims. During 
its continuance St. Gregory was elected Pope. To appease 
Divine wrath, he instituted penitential processions, and 
while leading one of these across the bridge, then called 
the bridge of St. Peter, Gregory saw on the summit of the 
Castle an apparition of the Archangel Michael, sheathing a 
bloody sword, and from that moment the plague was stayed. 
In commemoration of this miraculous apparition, Boniface 
IV., 608-15, erected a chapel on the summit of the mole, 
which, from its lofty situation, was called St. Angelo inter - 
nubes. The bronze statue of the Archangel, placed where 
St. Gregory saw the apparition, was cast by order of Bene- 
dict XI V., 1740-58, by a Flemish sculptor named Peter 
Verschaffelt, to replace one of very inferior workmanship, 
in marble, by Raffaele da Monte Lupo. 

A special permission is requisite to visit the Castle. 



The Bridge of St. Angelo. 



47 



The Bridge of St. Angelo is not only a remarkable 
example of the solidity and perfection with which the 
edifices of ancient Rome were constructed, but is also a 
proof of how many would have remained entire to this day 
had they not been torn to pieces to supply building material 
for the modern City. After resisting the inundations of 
more than seventeen centuries, which have thrown down 
so many bridges built across the Tiber, it is still as perfect 
as the day when first opened. It was built by the Emperor 
Hadrian about 136 a.d., to afford the means of direct com- 
munication to his grand mausoleum, and was called after 
him the Pons JElius. The only portions which are modern 
are the parapet and some of the travertine facing. The 
statues of St. Peter by Lorenzetto, and St. Paul by Paolo 
Bomano, at the further extremity from the Castle, were 
placed there in 1530 by order of Clement VII. The parapet, 
with the ten statues upon it, was constructed in 1668 by 
order of Clement X. The statues — Angels with the 
instruments of the Passion — were designed by Bernini, and 
executed by his scholars, with the exception of that bearing 
the " inscription," which is by his own hand. The pedestal 
of the third angel on the right retains the mark of a can- 
non ball, which struck it full in the centre during the siege 
by the French in 1849. 

Immediately after passing the Castle of St. Angelo a 
plain wall is seen on the right, leading across the moat, 
towards St. Peters. This is the famous covered way or 
passage — from the Vatican to the Castle — • which was 
constructed to afford the Pontiffs a ready means of escape 
to the fortress whenever it might be necessary. It was 
commenced by John XXIII., 1410-17 ; finished by Alex- 
ander VI., 1492-1503, and roofed over by Urban VIII. in 



48 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



1630. It can be seen from place to place, crossing down the 
streets to the right on the way to St. Peter's. 

The Yia del Borgo Nuovo leads direct from the Castle of 
St. Angelo to St. Peter's. About half-way along the street, a 
small square piazza, with a fountain in the centre, called the 
Piazza Scossa-cavalli, opens on the left. Pacing it on the 
right, and, in fact, forming one side of it, stands the 
Palazzo Giraud, built for Cardinal Adriano da Corneto, by 
Bramante, in 1506. After the Cardinal's death it passed 
into the possession of Henry VIII. of England, and was for 
a short time the residence of the English Ambassadors, 
until Henry gave it to Cardinal Campeggio, on the occasion 
of his mission to England regarding the divorce of Katherine 
of Arragon. It takes its present name from the Giraud 
family, from which it was purchased by Prince Torlonia, 
who now owns it. At a recent Easter festival this palace 
was occupied by a large party of English tourists, con- 
ducted by Mr. Cook, for the use of which, for ten days, the 
sum of £500 was paid. 

ST. PETER'S. 

The first view of St. Peter's creates disappointment. 
This is not so much due to the mind being unable to com- 
prehend the vast proportions of the structure, as to the 
changes made by Carlo Maderno in Michael Angelo's 
design, by which he altered the plan from a Greek to a 
Latin cross. To accomplish this he had to place the facade 
at three times the distance in advance of the dome origin- 
ally intended, whereby its great height, intercepting the eye 
of the spectator, hides the whole of the drum and the spring 
of the dome. Great, comparatively, as is the distance 
between the spectator, as he enters the Piazza Husticucci, 



St. Peter's. 



49 



and the Basilica, lie is, in proportion to the height of the 
facade, too close under it to see the drum of the dome 
behind. This will be made perfectly clear by observing, 
that with each step made towards the Basilica, the dome 
gradually sinks out of sight. The effect produced by The 
Piazza, with its magnificent semicircular colonnade on each 
side, its splendid fountains,* and the Egyptian obeliskf in 
the centre, is grand and imposing. The Colonnades were 
built by Bernini, during the reign of Alexander VJLL, 1655- 
67. They are each formed by four rows of columns, equi- 
distant, covering a width of 52| feet. Each colonnade is 
formed by 142 columns and 45 pilasters. The columns, 
including base and capital, are 42J feet in height. The 
height from the ground to the top of the balustrade is 59 J 
feet. On the balustrades are a number of statues, 236 
in all, of Saints and Bishops, sculptured in travertine ; 
each statue is 10 feet in height. 

The space enclosed by the Colonnades measures 794J 
feet by 754J . The form — taking the line round the outsides 
and joining the ends — an ellipse measuring 91 3| feet by 
754J, or 226J feet one way and 189J the other larger than 
the Colosseum. To this area must be added that of the 
Piazza Rusticucci at one extremity, which measures 266^ 
feet by 225 ; and the irregular square in front of St. 
Peter's at the other, which measures 372f palms by 367J. 

In the pavement near each fountain a flat round stone 
will be found, marking the centre from which the line of 
the colonnade is drawn, and the point from which the 
columns radiate ; standing on this stone, the colonnade 

* Designed by Carlo Maderno : 1605-12 ; and supplied by the Aqua Paola. 

t This obelisk occupied the centre of the spina of Nero's circus, on the site of -which 
the Basilica was built. It remained standing erect in its original position till 15S6, 
■when it was placed, by order of Sixtus V., in the centre of the Piazza. A square flag 
in the pavement, on the southern side of St. Peter's, before passing under the arches 
which connect it with the sacristy, marks the site ironi which the obelisk was removed. 
E 



50 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



presents the effect of being formed by one line of columns 
only. The colonnade is connected with tbe Basilica 
on the left, and with the Basilica and The Vatican on the 
right, by closed corridors, with galleries above them, each 
238 feet in length and 17§ in width. At the corners of 
the steps which lead up to the facade of St. Peter's are 
colossal marble statues : St. Peter, by Fabris ; and St. Paul, 
by Tadolini. 

The Basilica of St. Petee marks two memorable sites : 
the spot where it is said the body of St. Peter was interred 
after his crucifixion on the Janicnlum ; and the Circus of 
Nero — the foundation of the seats of which support the 
south wall of the Basilica — wherein occurred those fearful 
martyrdoms of the Christians, described by Tacitus. Over 
the place of St. Peter's burial an oratory was erected a.d. 
106, by St. Anacletus, fifth Bishop of Rome. This oratory 
continued in use till the time of Constantine, who, at the 
suggestion of Pope St. Sylvester, founded a Basilica in its 
stead about the year 319, which was consecrated by St. 
Sylvester, on the 18th November, 324.* Early in the 
fifteenth century, the Constantinian Basilica menacing ruin, 
Nicholas Y., 1447-55, determined to rebuild it, or rather 
replace it by one of greater magnificence, and entrusted its 
construction to the architects, Leon Battista Alberti and 
Bernardino Rossellini. With the death of Nicholas the work 
was suspended. Paul II., 1464-71, advanced it somewhat, but 
no great progress was made till the time of Julius II., 
1503-13. This Pope entrusted the continuance of the work 
to the celebrated architect Bramante, who made an entirely 
new design on the plan of a Greek cross. The 

* The fagade of this Basilica is represented in the background of Kaphael's fresco 
of the Incendio del Borgo in the Stanze of the Vatican. 



St. Peter's. 



51 



foundation stone was laid by Julius on the 18th of 
April, 1506, on the spot where stands that great pier 
of the dome, which is ornamented by the statue of St. 
Veronica. The deaths of the Pope and of the architect, in 
1513 and 1514, again interrupted the work. Leo X. then 
appointed Giuliano da S. Gallo, Era Giocondo da Verona, 
and Raphael Sanzio, the great painter, joint architects. 
By them, alterations were made in Bramante's design, and 
the plan changed to a Latin cross. Within seven years 
death had again carried off the architects, and Baldassare 
Peruzzi was appointed, who again made another design, and 
returned to the plan laid down by Bramante. During the 
reigns of Adrian VI., 1522-23, and of Clement VII., 1523-34, 
the works were suspended. Paul III., 1534-50, recommenced 
them, appointing Antonio Picconi di S. Gallo architect, 
who again altered the design; but his death occurring 
shortly afterwards, Paul sent for Michael Angelo, then in his 
72nd year, and confided the work to him. Within fifteen 
days Michael Angelo had completed a new design, adhering 
to the plan of a Greek cros<D. He determined to give the 
building a facade like that of the Pantheon, to construct a 
double dome with a considerable space between the outer 
and inner walls, to carry it to the height of 450 feet, and, 
as he said, " raise the Pantheon in air." Michael Angelo set 
to work with that marvellous energy for which he was so 
remarkable, and at the time of his death, in 1564, had com- 
pleted the building up to the top of the drum. Pius IV., 
1559-66, then appointed Pirro Ligorio and Giacomo Barozzi 
di Vignola ; but the former desiring to make alterations, 
Pius V., 1566-72, entrusted the continuance of the work 
solely to the hands of Barozzi, under whom it progressed 
slowly, for want of money. 

\ 



52 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



On the death of Barozzi, Gregory XIII., 1572-85, ap- 
pointed Giacomo della Porta. 

On the accession of Sixtus V. 1585-90, a great stimulus 
was given to the work. This Pope, in his anxiety to see 
the dome finished, set apart the sum of 100,000 gold 
crowns annually for the purpose ; 600 workmen were em- 
ployed night and day, and in 22 months Giacomo della 
Porta had completed the work, with the exception of the 
lantern, which he constructed during the first seven months 
of the reign of Gregory XIV., 1590-91. During the reigns 
of Innocent IX., 1591-92, and Clement VIII., 1592-1605, be 
entirely finished the exterior of the dome, and ornamented 
the interior with mosaics. The ball and cross were placed 
in the year 1593. It was estimated that 30,000 pounds 
weight of iron were employed in the construction of the 
dome. On the death of Giacomo della Porta in 1601, the 
portico of the facade only was wanting to complete the 
design of Michael Angelo. Unfortunately, the foundations 
of the tribune had been laid considerably in the rear of 
the earlier Basilica, and hene^, though the building, com- 
pleted according to Michael Angelo's plan, covered infinitely 
more space, yet it did not enclose the whole of the site 
occupied by that which had given place to it. This was 
considered by Paul V., 1605-21, to be a grave error, and con- 
sequently he instructed Carlo Maderno to prolong the nave 
into the form of a Latin cross, so as to enclose the whole 
of the earlier church. The facade was carried forward to the 
point where it now stands, and that distortion of Michael 
Angelo's design accomplished, which has ruined the exterr.al 
aspect of the edifice from the Piazza. The foundation of the 
addition was laid on the 7th May, 1607; the nave was 
finished in 1612; the facade in 1614; and on the 18th 



St Peter's. 



53 



November, 1626, the Basilica was dedicated by Urban VIII. 
During the reign of Alexander VII., 1655-67, Bernini 
erected the colonnades, and finally Pius VI. laid the 
foundation-stone of the Sacristy, on the 22nd September, 
1776, and on its completion, consecrated the altar in it, on 
the 13th June, 1784. 

Calculating from the commencement of the work by 
Nicholas V. in 1450, to the dedication of the Basilica by 
Urban VIII. in 1626, no less than 176 years, extending 
over the reigns of twenty-eight Popes, were occupied in its 
construction, during which period no fewer than fifteen 
architects succeeded each other in the direction of the 
work. If the building of the colonnade and sacristy are 
included, it covers a period of 334 years, and is in fact not 
yet completed, for the pilasters of the nave, to which Pius 
IX. has placed marble bases, are of stucco only. 

According to the calculation made by the architect Carlo 
Fontana, at the end of the 17th century, the expenditure on 
the building, exclusive of the models, bell-towers, mosaic 
pictures, sacristy, &c, had amounted to 46,800,498 Roman 
scudi, equivalent to ten millions sterling. The buildings 
occupy a space of 240,000 square feet. Bramante's 
original plan, which comprised an area enclosed by an 
outer range of buildings, would have covered 350,000 
square feet, or about eight English acres. The sum an- 
nually expended in keeping the building in repair is 30,000 
scudi, or £6,300 sterling. 

The dimensions of the edifice are as follows : The facade 
is 372| feet in breadth or frontage, and 154 in height; the 
eight travertine columns which ornament it are 93 feet 
in height, including base and capital, and 8| in diameter ; 
the thirteen statues on the summit are 19 feet high : 



54 



Tourist's Handbook to Boms. 



they represent the Saviour, in the middle, with St. John the 
Baptist and the Apostles, exclusive of St. Peter. 

The Atrium, or vestibule, is 235 feet in length, 42 in 
width, and 66 \ in height. At each end of the Atrium there are 
wings, each 49 feet in length, beyond which are colossal 
equestrian statues of Constantine and Charlemagne. The 
extreme length between these statues is 46 6| feet. The 
interior of the Basilica is 619 feet in length, measuring 
from the door to the end of the tribune ; and 449 trans- 
versely along the transepts. 

The nave is 79 feet wide, and 148 high ; but in the 
portion added by Paul V., to extend the Greek cross into 
the Latin form, it is 89 feet wide and 153 high. 

The aisles are 207 feet long, 21 \ wide, and 48 in height. 

The external measurement from the ground to the sum- 
mit of the cross is 470 feet; from the pavement of the 
Basilica to the summit of the cross 453, and from the 
lower level of the Confession of St. Peter 462J feet;. The 
internal diameter of the cupola is 141 J feet.* The num- 
ber of columns within and without the Basilica, including 
the colonnade, is 756, of which 245 are in the interior, the 
greater portion of which were taken from, or had belonged 
to, edifices of the ancient city. In 1828, the statues num- 
bered 389 : 40 of metal, 96 of marble, 161 of travertine, 
and 90 of stucco. Since that time at least nine colossal 
marble statues have been added, forming a total of not less 
than 396. There are 46 altars, and 121 lamps, the greater 
number of which are always kept burning. 132 Popes have 
been interred here, counting from St. Peter to Gregory 
XVL, 1831-46. 

The external balcony, immediately over the central 

* The internal diameter of the dome of the Pantheon measures 143| feet. 



St, Peter's. 



55 



entrance, is that from which the Pope blessed the people 
three times each year — Holy Thursday, Easter Sunday, 
and St. Peter's Day. Three great entrances lead from the 
Atrium into the Basilica. The doors of bronze which close 
the central entrance belonged to the earlier Basilica, and 
were made by Antonio Pilarete, called "Averulino," and 
Simone, brother of Donatello the sculptor, by order of 
Eugenius IV., 1431-39. There is a fourth door, of smaller 
size, to the right, which is walled up, and has a bronze cross 
upon it. This is the Porta Santa, or Holy Door, only opened 
for the Jubilee — nominally every twenty-five years — when 
the Pope breaks the wall with a silver hammer. Political 1 
events have prevented any Jubilee being held since 1825. 
After examining the bronze doors, let us turn round and 
look outwards and upwards at the celebrated Mosaic of the 
Navicella, placed inside the Atrium, and above the central 
entrance from the Piazza. It represents St. Peter walking 
on the sea, and was made by Giotto, in 1298, to ornament 
the old Basilica. 

Entering the nave, a perception of the grandeur of the 
edifice begins to dawn upon the mind ; but even here the 
first impression is somewhat mingled with disappointment. 
It is only after several visits that a full appreciation of its 
magnificence can be attained. This radical defect, arising 
through the alterations made by Carlo Maderno, is con- 
sidered by some to be a proof of perfect proportions in the 
building. This has only been maintained around the dome, 
where alone an unqualified sense of magnitude is conveyed, 
and between the statues and the building, which are in 
perfect harmony with each other. On the great pilasters, 
to the right and left as we enter, are the holy-water fonts, 
supported by cherubs. At the first glance they appear to 



56 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



be of no more than natural size, but, on going up to them, 
they are found to be veritable Brobdignags. From these we 
can estimate the colossal size of the building, but that should 
be conveyed without the necessity for such comparison. 
Advancing up the nave, we have another evidence of size ; 
the relative lengths of the six next largest churches in the 
world, marked upon the centre line of the floor by a brass 
star and the name of each. By as much as the distance of 
each star from the door, is St. Peter's longer than the 
church indicated ; the exact length being given in the 
distance from the star to the tribunal wall. These are St. 
Peter's itself, 619 feet ; St. Paul's, London, 516f ; the 
Diiomo of Florence, 495; Milan Cathedral, 448; St. 
Petronio at Bologna, 440 ; St. Paul's, outside the walls, 
Rome, 423 ; Sta. Sophia, Constantinople, 364. 

Against the last pilaster of the right side of the nave is 
the famous bronze statue of St. Peter, whose extended foot 
has been worn out of shape by the kisses of the devout. 
From this point there is a full view of the interior of the 
dome. The pictures which ornament it to the highest 
point, are all mosaic — as in fact are all the pictures through- 
out the Basilica with the exception of one.* Around the 
spring of the dome runs the text, " Tu es Petkus, et super 
hanc Peteam ^dificabo ecclesiam meam et tibi dabo claves 
eegni Ccelorum," in letters of mosaic, 4ft. lOin. in height. 
The four great circular medallions, each 28 feet in 
diameter, above the piers which sustain the dome, represent 
the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Below 
these medallions are balconies, with ornamented spiral 



* That representing the fall of Simon Magus, immediately opposite the monument 
to Alexander VII. It is an oil painting, on slate, by Francesco Yanni, and will 
eventually be replaced by a mosaic. 



St. Peter's. 



57 



columns on each side, which belonged to the old Basilica. 
From that on the left, above the statue of Sta. Veronica, 
as we look towards the tribune, the relics are exhibited on 
Holy Thursday and other great festivals. The chief of 
these are a piece of the True Cross; the head of the lance 
which pierced our Saviour's side ; and the handkerchief of 
Sta. Veronica. Below the balconies, each pier is ornamented 
by a colossal statue, each 16J feet in height — excepting 
that of St. Longinus, which is 15| feet, — standing on 
pedestals 11 feet high. These statues represent Sta. 
Veronica holding the handkerchief in her hands, by Fran- 
cesco Mocchi ; St. Helena with the cross, by Andrea Bolgio ; 
St. Longinus with the spear, by Bernini; and St. Andrew 
with his cross, by Francesco du Quesnoy, surnanied 
Fiammingo. 

Inrmediately under the dome is the High Altar, above 
which stands the grand Baldacchino made by Bernini from 
the ancient bronze beams, taken by order of Urban VIII. 
from the Portico of the Pantheon. It measures 95J feet in 
height ; 116,392 pounds of metal were employed in the cast- 
ing, and the gilding alone cost 40,000 scudi, about £8,500. 

In front of the High Altar is the Confession of St. Peter 
— to which a double flight of steps descend — where, 
below the High Altar, and enclosed behind richly orna- 
mented gilt bronze gates, is the shrine in which the remains 
of the Apostle are said to repose. The space in front, 
which is 10 feet below the floor of the Basilica, is sur- 
rounded by a handsome balustrade, around which, supported 
by gilt metal cornucopia?, 89 lamps are kept burning night 
and day. On the floor of this Confession, which is said to 
correspond with the ancient oratory of St. Anacletus, is the 
monumental statue of Pius VI. by Canova. The Pope is 



58 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



represented kneeling — as he was in the habit of doing at 
this spot — in prayer. 

The north transept, and other portions of the Basilica 
contiguous to it, are enclosed off: by screens made of canvas 
on light framework, painted to imitate marble. This was 
done when the transept was converted into the Council 
Chamber for the sittings of the (Ecumenical Council. 

Passing the High Altar, we enter the tribune, ascending 
by two steps of porphyry. In the centre is the great 
symbolical chair of Peter, supported by four colossal figures 
17ft. 9in. in height, representing the Fathers of the Church 
— St. Augustin, St. Ambrose, St. Chrysostom, and St. 
Athanasius. It contains the ancient chair, which is said 
to have been used by the Apostle. 

Above, is an oval window of stained yellow glass, with 
the Dove in the centre, surrounded by gigantic masses of 
gilt clouds, with cherubs among them, and great rays of 
glory as large as the beams of houses. The whole of this, 
together with the chair and the statues which support it, is 
of bronze gilt, the work of Bernini, and consumed no less 
than 219,161 pounds of metal. In the niche to the left is 
the monument to Paul III., by Giuglielmo della Porta ; in 
that to the right the monument to Urban VIII., by Bernini- 
On the face of the piers within the tribune are four marble 
tablets, placed in commemoration of the promulgation of 
the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin in 
1854. On three, are inserted the names of the Cardinals, 
Archbishops, and Bishops present, among which are several 
English and American. Returning to the entrance, we 
shall now commence from the left side, and passing up the 
south aisle make the circuit of the Basilica, briefly noting 
the different chapels, mosaics, and monuments. 



St. Peter's. 



59 



The first is the Baptismal Chapel. The porphyry four 
was originally the cover of the sarcophagus which contained 
the body of the Emperor Hadrian. — Vide page 46. The 
central mosaic is a copy of the Baptism of our Saviour, 
"by Carlo Maratta. 

On the left we pass the door which leads to the dome. 
Over it is the monument of Maria Clementina Sobieski, the 
wife of the old Pretender. She died in Borne in 1745, and 
is entitled Queen of Great Britain, France, and Ireland. 

On the opposite pilaster is the monument to the Stuarts, 
by Canova, erected by order and a,t the expense of George 
IV. The inscription sets forth that the monument was 
erected to the memory of James the Third, King of Great 
Britain, and his sons, Charles Edward and Henry, who are 
styled by Lord Mahou Charles the Third and Henry the 
Ninth. Had the latter attained the title, the Church of 
Borne would for the first time have had one of her Cardi- 
nals occupying an European throne, and that, the throne 
of England ! James the Third, commonly called the Old 
Pretender, died in Borne on the 1st of January, 1766. 

Chapel of the Presentation, so called from the mosaic 
copy of the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, by 
Bomanelli. Against the right pilaster of the next arch is 
placed the bronze monument of Innocent VT1L, 1484-92, 
by Pietro and Antonio Pollajuolo. This monument was 
originally in the old Basilica. 

Above the door opposite to this monument is a plain 
plaster sarcophagus, painted in imitation of stone, and 
bearing no inscription. It awaits the body of Pius IX. 
This is the temporary sarcophagus in which the remains of 
each successive Pope are placed until the monument erected 
to him, whether in St. Peter's or elsewhere, is ready to 



60 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



receive them. The last who occupied it was Gregory XVI. 
Chapel of the choir. The mosaic over the altar is a copy 
of " The Conception," by Pietro Bianchi. In this chapel 
vespers are very beautifully sung every Sunday afternoon, 
commencing at two hours before sunset. 

Against the right pilaster of the next arch is the monu- 
ment of Innocent XI., 1676-89, by Etienne Monot : and 
against the left that of Leo XI., 1605, by Algardi. 

Over the altar immediately opposite is a remarkably fine 
mosaic copy of the Transfiguration by Raphael. 

Turning to the left, into what is called the Clementina 
Chapel, the first monument against the left wall is that of 
Pius VII., 1800-23, by Thorwaldsen. The altar of this 
chapel is ornamented with a mosaic copy of The Miracle 
of Gregory the Great, by Andrea Sacchi. Below the altar 
reposes, it is said, the body of Gregory the Great. 

On the left the monument of Pius VIII., 1829-31, by 
Tenerani. The door in the lower part of the monument 
leads into the sacristy. The mosaic immediately opposite 
is a copy of the Ananias and Sapphira, by Roncalli. 

"We now cross the south transept, called that of Saints 
Simon and Jude, whose bodies are said to repose under the 
central altar, above which is a mosaic copy of the Cruci- 
fixion of St. Peter, by Guido Reni. The grand columns of 
Numidian marble, giallo antico, taken from some ancient 
Roman edifice, are well worthy of observation ; as also the 
remarkably fine antique capitals which surmount them. 
The altar on the right is ornamented with a mosaic copy of 
The Incredulity of St. Thomas, by Camuccini, and that on the 
left with a mosaic copy of St. Francis receiving the stigmata, 
the wounds of our Saviour, by Domenichino. Below this 
altar reposes the body of Pope St. Leo IX. 



St Peter's. 



61 



Along the sides of the transept are ranged a number of 
confessionals for people of all nations, each bearing the 
name of the language spoken by the confessor who sits 
within. 

Having crossed the transept we enter the chapel called 
that of the Madonna of the Column; passing on the left the 
monument to Alexander VII., 1655-67, by Bernini, with 
opposite to it an oil painting by Francesco Vanni, repre- 
senting The Fall of Simon Magus. 

This chapel takes its name from an ancient column 
belonging to the old Basilica, which on account of it bearing 
a representation of the Virgin Mary with the infant Saviour 
in her arms, was removed and placed above the altar. It 
is enclosed within an ornamental framework and glass, 
through which the painting can just be recognised. In an 
ancient sarcophagus beneath this altar repose the bodies 
of Popes Leo II., died 683; Leo III., died 816; and Leo 
IV, died 855. 

The next altar, on the left, is that of Pope St. Leo the 
Great, beneath which his remains he in an ancient marble 
sarcophagus. Above the altar is a magnificent alto relief, 
by Algardi, representing St. Leo forbidding the advance of 
Attila, King of the Huns, against Rome. Above the Pope's 
head are the figures of St. Peter and St. Paul, with drawn 
swords in their hands, who are said to have appeared in the 
heavens at the same time to warn back the invader. 

Next, on the left, is the monument of Alexander VIII., 
1689-91, with, opposite to it, the altar dedicated to the 
Apostles Peter and John, above which is a mosaic copy of 
the Apostles healing the lame man at the Gate of the 
Temple, by Francesco Mancini. 

Passing across in front of the Tribune we find the corre- 



62 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



sponding angle to that just visited, closed by an artificial 
screen work. This was done at the time of the last 
(Ecumenical Council, but entrance may generally be ob- 
tained by application at the Sacristy. 

The first monument to the left is that of Clement X., 
1670-76, by Mattia Rossi ; above the altar opposite to which, 
on the right, is a mosaic copy of St. Peter raising Tabitha 
from the dead, by Plaoido Gostanzi. Above the next altar, 
on the left, is a mosaic copy, considered the finest mosaic 
in the Basilica, from Guercino's painting of Sanfca Petronilla, 
now in the Capitoline Gallery; and above the next altar, 
also on the left, a mosaic copy from Guido's painting of the 
Archangel Michael, in the Church of Cappuccini. 

•Xext, also on the left, is the monument to Clement XIII., 
by Canova ; and, above the altar, opposite to it, on the right, 
a mosaic copy of our Saviour saving St. Peter from sink- 
ing, by Lanfranco. 

"We then pass into the North Transept, which still 
remains in the condition into which it was transformed for 
the use of the CEcumenical Council. 

Above the altar, at the end of the Transept, is a mosaic 
representing the martyrdom of Saints Processus and 
Martinianus, whose remains, it is said, repose beneath. 

Above the altar, on the right of this, is a mosaic of St. 
Wenceslaus, King of Bohemia ; and above the altar, on the 
left, a mosaic copy of the martyrdom of St. Erasmus, by 
Poussin. 

Crossing the Transept from the monument of Clement 
XIIL, we pass on the left the monument to Benedict XIV., 
1740-58, by Pietro Bracci, and on the right, above the altar, 
a mosaic representing the Emperor Yalens fainting in the 
presence of St. Basil. 



St. Peter's. 



63 



Immediately opposite is the monument by Amid, recently 
erected to Gregory XVI., 1831-46, on the left of "which is 
the altar dedicated to the Madonna del Soccorso, beneath 
■which reposes the body of St. Gregory Xazianzenus. 

Turning to the right, we find on the right hand side the 
altar dedicated to St. Jerome, and above it a mosaic copy 
of Dornenichino's famons picture of that Saint receiving the 
last Communion. 

Turning then to the left, between the piers we find the 
monument to Gregory XIII., 1572-85, by Camillo Eusconi, 
against that on the left, and the unadorned monument to 
Gregory XIV., 1590-91, against that on the right. 

Next, upon the left, is the Chapel of The Holy Sacrament. 
Upon the altar is a magnificent tabernacle of gilt bronze 
and lapis-lazuli, and above it a fresco by Pietro da Cortona, 
representing the Trinity. 

Above the altar, on the right, is a mosaic copy cf 
Caravaggio's picture of the Entombment. 

On the floor immediately in front of this altar, is the bronze 
monument to Sixtus IV., 1471-81, by Pollajuolo, and near 
to it a flat stone marking the grave of Julius II., 1503-13. 

Turning from this chapel to the left, the niche on the 
right pier contains a very beautiful statue, by Bernini, of 
the Countess Matilda (died 1115), who founded the tem- 
poral power of the Popes ; and on the left pier is the 
monument to Innocent XII., 1691-1700, by Filippo Valle. 

Above the next altar is a fine mosaic copy of the Martyr- 
dom of St. Sebastian, by Domenicliino ; after passing which 
we find on the right pier the monument to Christina, Queen 
of Sweden (died 1689), by Carlo Fontana: and above the 
door in the left the monumental statue of Leo XII., 1823-20, 
by Fabris. 



64 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



The next, and last chapel, the Gappella delta Pieta, is that 
dedicated to the dead. It takes its name more particularly 
from the group of the Virgin with the dead Saviour on her 
knees, called a Pieta, by Michael Angelo. Unfortunately it 
is placed in so bad a light that it is impossible for the 
spectator to form any just appreciation of its beauties. 

THE VATICAN 

is entered by the gate situated where the vestibule, on the 
left hand as we leave St. Peter's, joins the Colonnade. 
The entrance is kept by the Swiss guards, whose picturesque 
costume is said to have been designed by Michael Angelo.* 
Proceeding along the corridor we ascend the beautiful 
staircase called The Scala Regia, one of the finest archi- 
tectural works executed by Bernini. Alterations made in 
the Vatican during the Pontificate of Alexander VII. 
necessitated the construction of a staircase on this spot to 
give access to the great hall called the Sola Regia. f On 
account of the limited space great difficulties were experi- 
enced, which Bernini overcame by designing the staircase 
according to the principles of perspective, by which means 
he succeeded in giving it a much grander appearance than 
could otherwise have been obtained, and in making it 
worthy of the " Regal" name it bears. 

Proceeding up a narrow staircase, which leads direct 
from the first landing of the Scala Regia, a small green 
baize door is found on the right, which leads into 

* No persons are admitted -without tickets, but those unprovided can obtain them 
at once by asking to be allowed to go up to the office of the Pope's Maggiordomo, 
Monsignore Pacca. His secretary gives each person (not members of the same party) 
two tickets, each admitting five persons, one for the Sculpture Gallery, the other for 
the Sistine Chapel, the Loggie and Stanze of Eaphael, and the Picture Gallery. The 
Vatican Galleries are closed on Sundays and Pestas ; and for Mondays and Thursdays, 
which are called public days, a separate ticket is required for each person. 

+ This hall, which contains the frescoes of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, is now 
closed to the public. 



The Sixtine Chapel. 



05 



THE SIXTINE CHAPEL, 

so called from the Pope Sixtus IV., 1471-84, by whose 
orders it was built by Bartolommeo Pintelli. This chapel 
is famous throughout the world for the Miserere so wonder- 
fully sung within it* on the afternoons of Wednesday, 
Thursday, and Friday, in Holy Week; and for the master 
pieces in fresco by Michael Angela : The Last Judgment, 
which covers the end wall, and the series of subjects from 
Genesis, with the majestic figures of The Prophets, and The 
Sibyls, which decorate the ceiling. Michael Angelo was sixty 
years of age when he commenced the Last Judgment, by 
order of Clement VII. He spent seven years upon the work, 
completing it in 1541, during the reign of Paul III. In the 
centre, and occupying the chief position in the picture, is 
The Saviour, with His right arm upraised, in the act of 
saying, "Depart from Me, ye wicked, into everlasting damna- 
tion." Beside Him, on His right hand, is the Virgin 
"veiling herself with her drapery, and turning with a 
countenance full of anguish towards the Blessed." They 
are surrounded by the Saints, and the Martyrs holding the 
instruments of their martyrdom, by which they can be 
easily recognised : St. Catherine with the wheel, St. Bar- 
tholomew holdiug up his skin, and others. Below are the 
Angels sounding the last trumpet. On the left, looking 
towards the picture, are the dead rising from their graves : 
on the right are the damned, dragged down by devils to 
eternal punishment, and below them Charon, driving out of 
his boat a group he has ferried across the Styx. In the 
extreme corner, on the right, is the portrait of Messer Biagio 
of Cesena, whom Michael Angelo placed in hell and painted 

* Now discontiuucd. 

P 



I 



66 Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 

with, asses' ears, for haying criticized his work. In the half 
circles above, are Angels carrying the instruments of the 
Passion. 

The fresco has suffered much by the smoke from the 
candles burnt in the chapel ; through the draperies which 
were added to many of the figures, first by Daniel da Volterra 
and then by Stefano Pozzi ; and from the blue back-ground, 
painted on at a later period, which throws the whole out of 
harmony. 

The Ceiling is divided into nine compartments or 
pictures. Commencing on the flat portion, immediately 
above the Last Judgment, the subjects are as follows : — 

1 — The Separation of Light and 

Darkness. 

2 — The Creation of the Sun and 

Moon. 

3 — The Creation of Trees and 

Plants. 

4 — The Creation of Adam. 

On the arched sides of the ceiling are triangular com- 
partments, between which are majestic figures of the Pro- 
phets and Sibyls alternately. Commencing with that of 
Jonah, which occupies the compartment between the arches 
of the upper portion of the Last Judgment, and proceeding 
to the right, they will be found in the following order : — 



5 — The Creation of Eve. 

6— The Temptation and The Ex- 

pulsion from Paradise. 

7 — The Sacrifice of Noah. 

8— The Deluge. 

9 — The Intoxication of Noah. 



1 — Jonah. 

2 — The Lybian Sibyl. 

3 — Daniel. 

4— The Cumsean Sibyl. 

5 — Isaiah. 

6— -The Delphic Sibyl. 



7 — Zachariah. 

8— Joel. 

9— The Erythraean Sibyl. 

10— Ezekiel. 

11— The Persic Sibyl. 

12 — Jeremiah. 



In the spandrils between the Prophets and Sibyls, and 
in the arches above the windows, are a series of beautiful 
groups illustrating the genealogy of the Virgin. 

The subjects in the four spaces which form the angles of 
the ceiling are : — Above the chief entrance — Judith and 



The Sixtine Chapel. 



67 



Holofernes, on the left ; David and Goliath, on the right. 
Above the Last Judgment — The Brazen Serpent, on the 
right ; The Execution of Hainan, on the left. 

The walls are decorated with frescoes by the great 
masters of the 15th century ; six on each side, and two on 
the end. 

Ovbe the Chief Entrance. 



The Resurrection of our Saviour, 
by Ghirlandajo. 

On the left wall, looking towards, 
and commencing from, the 
chief entrance : 

1 — The Last Supper, by Cosimo 

Rosselli. 

2 — Christ giving the Keys to 

Peter, by Pietro Perugino. 



3 — The Sermon on the Mount, 
by Cosimo Rosselli. 



i — The calling of Peter & Andrew, 
by Domenico Ghirlandajo. 



5 — The three incidents of the 
Temptation of our Lord, 
by Sandro Botticelli. 



6— The Baptism of Christ, by 
Pietro Perugino. 



The Archangel Michael, bearing 
away the body of Moses, by 
Cecchino Salviati. 

On the right wall, looking towards, 
and commencing from, the 
chief entrance : 

1 — Moses blessing the Children 

of Israel before his death, 
by Luca Signorelli. 

2— The Rebellion of Korah, and, 

The Punishment of Korah , 
Dathan, and Abiram, by 
Sandro Botticelli. 

3 — Moses receiving the Com- 

mandments on the Mount, 
The setting up of the Gold- 
en Calf, and, Moses break- 
ing the Tables of the Law, 
by Cosimo Rosselli. 

4 — The Overthrow of Pharaoh 

in the Red Sea, and, Moses 
with the Children of Israel 
singing the song of deliver- 
ance, by Cosimo Rosselli. 

5 — Moses slaying the Egyptian ; 

driving the Midianite 
Shepherds from the well ; 
and, before the Burning 
Bush, by Sa ndro Botticelli. 

6 — The Journey of Moses and 

his wife Zipporah, into 
Egypt ; Moses circumcising 
his son, by Lifca Signorelli. 



On the pilasters between the windows, are the portraits (?) 
of twenty-eight Popes, by Sandro Botticelli. 

On leaving the Sixtine Chapel we turn to the right, and 
ascending the stairs, reach a closed door, at which we 



68 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



knock, and are admitted into the rooms leading into the 
Stanze of Raphael. The first two contain paintings in oil 
by modern artists. The walls of the third are covered with 
frescoes by Podesti, painted in commemoration of the Pro- 
mulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of 
the Virgin, by Pius IX., on the 8th December, 1854. 

The beautiful mosaic pavement of this room is ancient; 
it was found at Ostia, a few years ago, in the course of 
the excavations still going forward. 

THE STANZE OF EAPHAEL. 

These three rooms (Stanze) are celebrated for the master- 
pieces of art painted by Raphael, in fresco, on their walls 
and ceilings, by order of Julius II. He commenced them 
in 1508, being then in his 25th year. 

First Room, called the Stanza of the Incendio del Borgo. 
The subjects on the walls are representations of events 
which took place during the Pontificates of Leo III., 
795-816, and Leo IV., 847-55, and were intended to indicate 
the power of the Church, and its triumph over its enemies. 

On the right wall (opposite the window), The Incendio 
del Boego ; a great fire which broke out in the neighbour- 
hood of the Vatican, in the year 847, and, as it approached 
the Palace, was miraculously stayed by the Pope Leo IV., 
who is seen on the balcony making the sign of the cross, 
and forbidding the flames to advance. In the background, 
is a view of the mosaic front of the old Basilica of St. Peter. 
On the left wall (over, and on the sides of the window), 
The Justification of Leo III. before Charlemagne, designed 
by Raphael, and painted by Perino del Vaga. 

On the wall of Ingress, The Coronation of Charlemagne, 
partly painted by Raphael, and partly by Perino del Vaga, 



TJie Stanze of Raphael . 



69 



The faces of tlie Pope and the Emperor, in both of these 
frescoes, are those of Leo X., and Francis I., King of France. 

On the wall of Egress, The Victory of Leo IV. over the 
Saracens at Ostia, designed by Raphael, and painted by 
Giovanni da Ucline. The Pope is a portrait of Leo X. 

The ceiling is painted in imitation of mosaic, by Pietro 
Perugino. When the paintings by the earlier masters, in 
these rooms, were obliterated, to make way for those of 
Raphael, he would not allow this ceiling to be touched, out 
of respect to his master. The subjects are : The Almighty 
surrounded by Angels ; The Saviour in Glory ; The Saviour 
with the Apostles; and, The Glorification of the Saviour 
between Saints and Angels. 

Second Room, called The Stanza della Segnatura, painted 
in illustration of the virtues of Theology, Philosophy, Juris- 
prudence, and Poetry, which are personified in the four 
circular, and illustrated in the four square frescoes, on the 
ceiling. Theology, by the Fall of Man ; Philosophy, by the 
study of the Globe ; Jurisprudence, by the Judgment of 
Solomon; and Poetry, by the Flaying of Marsyas. The 
paintings on the walls are illustrations of the same subjects. 

On the wall of Ingress, The Dispute op the Sacrament. 
Theology. This was the first of this series of frescoes 
painted by Raphael, and is by many considered to be his 
grandest work. In the lower portion, are ranged on each 
side of the altar, the Fathers of the Church, Popes, Bishops, 
and eminent Divines, whose writings have had reference to 
the "real presence." The upper portion represents the 
Heavenly Host. In the centre, The Three Persons of the 
Trinity, with The Virgin on one side and John the Bap- 
tist on the other. On the right, are St. Paul, Abraham, 
St. James, Moses, St. Laurence, and St. George. On the 



70 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



left, St. Peter, Adam, St. John, David, St. Stephen, and 
another. 

On the wall of Egress, The School of Athens. Philo- 
sophy. The great Philosophers, Mathematicians, and men 
of learning of antiquity, are represented as gathered together 
in the Poicile Stoa, at Athens. 

On the right wall, Jurisprudence. Above the window are, 
Prudence, Fortitude, and Temperance. On the left side of 
the window, the Emperor Justinian delivering the Pandects 
to Tribonian, as illustrating civil law. On the right, Pope 
Gregory IX. (a portrait of Julius II.) delivering the Decre- 
tals to an advocate of the Consistory, illustrating canon 
law. The figures near the Pope are portraits of Cardinal 
de Medici, afterwards Leo X., Cardinal Farnese, afterwards 
Paul III., and Cardinal del Monte, who became Julius HI. 

On the left wall, Mount Parnassus. Poetry. Above the 
window, Apollo is seated surrounded by the Muses, and, on 
the left, Homer, Yirgil, and Dante. By the side of the 
window, on the left are, Sappho, seated. Corinna, Petrarch. 
Propertius, and Anacreon : on the right, Pindar, Horace, 
Sannazaro, Boccaccio, and others. 

Third Room, called the Stanza of Heliodorus. The 
subjects on the walls are intended to represent " the Divine 
assistance granted to the Church against her foes, and the 
miraculous corroboration of her doctrine," with especial 
reference to events during the Pontificates of Julius II. 
and Leo X., reigning at the time they were painted. 

On the loall of Ingress, Pope St. Leo I. fokbiddln t g Attila's 
approach upon Rome, allusive to the expulsion of the French 
from Italy in 1513, through the victory gained by Leo X. 
in that year, over Louis XII., at Xovara. On the left is St. 
Leo (a portrait of Leo X.) riding on a mule, and attended 



The Stanze of Raphael. 



71 



by two Cardinals. On the right, Attila, at the head of the 
Huns, starting back affrighted at the miraculous appearance 
in the heavens of Saints Peter and Paul with drawn swords 
in their hands. 

On the wall of Egress, The Expulsion of Heliodorus 
from the Temple at Jerusalem (2 Maccabees hi.), " com- 
naemoratiYe of the deliverance of the Ecclesiastical States 
from the foes of the Apostolic authority, under Julius II., 
and his preservation of the possessions of the Church." In 
the background is the High Priest Onias, kneeling at the 
altar in prayer for divine protection. In the foreground 
on the right, the spoiler, Heliodorus, lies prostrate beneath 
the feet of the "horse with the terrible rider;" on the left 
is Pope Julius II. being carried into the Temple in the 
Sedia gestatoria ; an anachronism "intended to indicate 
the relation of the miraculous event to the circumstances 
of his time." 

On the right wall, The Miracle op Bolsena, designed to 
illustrate the infallibility of the Koroish doctrines. A 
priest at Bolsena, having refused to believe in the real 
presence, is convinced by the miraculous bleeding of the 
Host. In this fresco, the portrait of Julius II. is again 
introduced, kneeling at one side of the altar. 

On the left wall, The Deliverance op St. Peter from 
Prison, painted in allusion to the captivity of Leo X. while 
Cardinal and Papal Legate, in Spain ; and his delivery, the 
year before he was elected to fill the Papal chair. In the 
centre, over the window, the angel is awaking St. Peter in 
prison ; on the right side of the window, the angel is leading 
him out between the sleeping guards ; on the left, the 
soldiers are represented awaking from their sleep, to find 
their prisoner gone. 



72 



Tourist's Handbooh to Borne. 



The ceiling is divided into four compartments, containing 
subjects from the Old Testament : The promise of God to 
Abraham, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses before the Burning 
Bush, and Jacob's Dream. 

From this room we pass into The Hall of Constantine, 
the decoration of which Raphael had only commenced a 
short time before his death. His intention was to paint 
these walls in oil, but he only completed two of the alle- 
gorical figures — Justice, on the right of the great picture 
of the Defeat of Maxentius ; and Chaeitt, near the angle to 
the left. They are easily to be recognised by the green 
draperies, and their darker tone. The decoration of the 
hall was continued, and completed, by his scholars. The 
great fresco on the wall, opposite the windows, represents 
The Defeat of Maxentius by Constantine at the Milvian 
Beidge — now called the Ponte Molle — about two miles from 
Rome, by Giulio Romano. 

On the ivall to the left of this : The Addeess of Constan- 
tly TO HIS TEOOPS BEFOEE THE BATTLE, AND THE VlSION OF 

the Holy Ceoss, by Giulio Romano. 

On the wall to the right: The Supposed Baptism of 
Constantine by St. Sylvestee, by Francesco Penni. 

On the space between the windows : The Donation of 
Rome by Constantine to Pope St. Sylvestee, ascribed to 
Raphaello da Golle. 

On the ceiling is a painting remarkable for its perspective 
and foreshortening. It represents a statue of Mercury, 
overthrown from its pedestal and broken, to give place to 
the Cross. 

From this room we pass into The Loggie, and thence by 
a door, a few paces on the left, proceed upstairs to the 
Picture Gallery. 



The Loggie of Raphael. 



73 



THE LOGGIE OF EAPHAEL 

are the open balconies — recently closed in with glass — 
which form three sides of the great court-yard of the 
Vatican. That side of the middle Loggia, into which 
we turn immediately on the right after leaving the Stanze, 
was painted by Raphael's scholars, from his designs and 
under his direction.* The walls are covered with arabesques 
and festoons of fruit and flowers, painted by Giovanni da 
JJdine. This Loggia is divided into thirteen arcades, with 
vaulted ceilings, in each of which are four pictures repre- 
senting subjects from the Old Testament, — with the excep- 
tion of one of the arcades, on the ceiling of which there 
are four subjects from the New Testament — all easily re- 
cognizable. They were painted by Giulio Romano, Fran- 
cesco Penni, Pellegrino da Modena, Perino del Vaga, and 
Baphaello da Colle. 

THE PINACOTHECA, 
the Vatican Picture Gallery, contains comparatively few 
works, but they are almost without exception of great 
excellence. After the battle of Waterloo, the French were 
obliged to restore the works of art they had carried off to 
Paris from the cities of Italy, and on the masterpieces 
taken from Rome, being returned, Canova and Cardinal 
Consalvi advised Pius VII. to ensure their better preserva- 
tion, by formirig them into a collection, instead of replacing 
them in the churches to which they had belonged. To 
those sent back from Paris, a few others have since been 
added. 

The pictures in these rooms are not numbered, but they 

* The other sides of this Loggia, which have recently been restored by Signor Man- 
tovani, were finished in the time of Gregory XIII., 1572-85, and decorated after the 
same general design, by Marco da Faenza, Paul Schnorr, Sicciolante da Sermonctta, 
Te7npesta, and tiabbatini. 



Tourist 's Handbook to Home. 



are given below, in the order 
on the walls : 

FlBST 

St. Jerome, a sketch : Leonardo 
da Vinci. 

St. John the Baptist : Guercino. 

The Incredulity of St. Thomas : 
Guercino. 

The Annunciation; the Adoration 
of the Magi; and the Presen- 
tation in the Temple : Ra- 
phael. These three charm- 
ing little pictures originally 
formed the predelia to the 
Coronation of the Virgin, by 
Eaphael, in the third room 

Madonna and Child with St. 
Jerome : Francia. 

Mary Magdalen and the Dead 
Christ : Andrea Mantegna. 

The Dead Christ with the Virgin, 
St. John, and the Magdalen : 
Carlo Crivelli. 

The Holy Family : Benvenuto 
Garofolo. 



in which they will be found 
Kooit. 

Faith, Hope, and Charity : Ea- 
phael. Originally formed the 
predelia to his picture of the 
Entombment, now in the 
Borghese Gallery. 

St. Benedict, St. Placidus, and 
Sta. Flavia : Pietro Perugino. 

The Holy Family, with St. Ca- 
therine and St. Philip the 
Martyr: Bonifazio. 

A Predelia, with the story and 
miracles of St. Hyacinth : 
Benozzo Gozzoli. 

The Marriage of St. Catherine 
of Alexandria with the Infant 
Christ : Murillo. 

The Virgin : Fra Angelico da 
Fiesole. 

The Story of St. Nicholas, of 
Bari : Fra Angelico da 
Fiesole. 

The Adoration of the Shepherds : 
Murillo. 



Second Boom. 

This room contains three pictures only, the gems of the Collection : 
The Tbansfigubation ; The Communion or St. Jeeome ; and The 
Madonna da Foligno. The two former being among the very few 
which are ranked as the finest pictures ever painted. 

The Tbansfigueation, on the left. This is Raphael's master-piece : 
his last work, left unfinished at his death ; and it is conceded 
the supremacy over all other paintings existing. " The upper part of 
the picture is formed by an elevation to represent Mount Tabor. 
There he prostrate the three disciples who went up with Christ, 
dazzled by the Divine light ; above them, surrounded by a miraculous 
glory, the Saviour floats in the air, in serene beatitude, accompanied 
by Moses and Ehas." The lower portion, which Eaphael had only 
drawn upon the panel, and which was completed by Giulio Romano, 
represents the Demoniac Boy, brought by his parents to the remaining 
nine disciples, who profess themselves powerless to cure him in the 
" Master's" absence on the Mount, up to which one of the disciples 
is pointing. The two small figures at one side of the upper portion, 
are St. Julian and St. Laurence; an anachronism, committed at the 
request of Cardinal de Medici, on account of then being the patron 
Saints of his father, Giuhano de Medici, and his uncle, Lorenzo, the 
magnificent. This picture was placed at the head of the bed on which 
Baphael was laid in state, and carried in the procession which 
accompanied his remains to the grave. 



The Pinacotlieca. 



75 



The Communion of St. Jerome, on the right, the master-piece of 
Domenichiuo. The Saint is represented, when, at the point of death, 
as he was carried, according to his desire, into the chapel of his Mon- 
astery, that he might receive the last Sacrament, which was admin- 
istered to him hy St. Ephraim of Syria. This picture was painted by 
Domenichiuo for the Monks of the Ara Coeli, who were so much 
dissatisfied with it, that they hid it away in a lumber room. After- 
wards, having given Poussin a commission to paint them a picture, 
they brought out this, that he might utiiize the canvas by painting- 
over it, which he indignantly refused to do. It is now recognized 
as only second in merit to the Transfiguration. 



The Madonna da Foligno, on the wall at the back, painted by 
Eaphaelfor the high Altar of the Ara Coeli, but afterwards transferred 
to the Convent of St. Anna, at Foligno, whence its name. The 
kneeling figure draped in red, on the right, is a portrait of a certain 
Sigismondo Conte, a native of Foligno, the donor of the picture, and 
behind, St. Jerome recommending him to the Virgin's care. On the 
left are St. Francis and St. John the Baptist. 



Third Eoom. 



An Altar Piece: Titian. Called 
St. Sebastian and other 
Saints. The figures re- 
present St. Nicholas in 
full episcopal costume, St. 
Ambrose, St. Catherine 
of Alexandria, St. Francis 
with the Cross, St. Anthony 
of Padua with the Lily, 
and St. Sebastian pierced 
with arrows ; above is the 
Virgin and Child sur- 
rounded by Angels. 

St. Margaret of Cortona : Guer- 
cino. 

The Martyrdom of St. Laurence : 

Spagnoletto. 
The Magdalen with Angels 

bearing the Instruments 

of the Passion : Guercino. 
The Coronation of the Virgin: 

Pinturicchio. 
The Kesurrection : Pictro Peru- 

gino. 

The Madonna di Monte Luco: 
Giulio Romano and Fran- 
cesco Penni. 

The Nativity : Giovanni Spagna. 



The Adoration : School of Peru- 
gino. 

The Coronation of the Virgin : 
Raphael. This is one of 
his earliest works. 

The Madonna and Child en- 
throned, with St. Laurence 
and St. Louis of Toulouse, 
on one side, and St. Her- 
colanus on the other: 
Pietro Perugino. 

The Virgin and Child, seated 
on a crescent moon, and 
surrounded by Cherubs : 
Sassoferrato. This picture 
was presented to Pius IX. 
by Queen Isabella of Spain. 

The Entombment : 31. A. Cara- 
vaggio. 

Portrait of A. Gritti, Doge of 
Venice : Titian. 

An Altar Piece, in three compart- 
ments : Niccolo Alunno. 

Pope Sixtus IV. giving audience : 
Melozzo da Forli. All the 
figures are portraits. 

An Altar Piece : Niccolo Alunno. 



76 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Fourth Room. 



The Martyrdom of Saints Pro- 
cessus and Martinianus, 
the jailers of St. Peter : 
Valentin. 

The Crucifixion of St. Peter: 
Guido Reni. 

The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus : 
N. Poussin. 

The Annunciation : Baroccio. 

The Miracle of St. Gregory the 
Great : Andrea Sacchi. 

The Ecstacy of Sta. Michelina : 
Baroccio. 

The Madonna and Child, with 
St. Francis and St. Bar- 
tholomew : Moretto da 
Brescia. 



The Vision of St. Helena, the 
mother of Constantine, 
of the finding of the True 
Cross : Paolo Veronese. 

The Madonna and Child with 
St. Thomas and St. Jerome: 

Guido. 

The Madonna della Cintola, with 
St. John and St. Augus- 
tine : Cesare da Sesto. 

The Saviour: Correggio. 

The Vision of St. Eomualdo 
Andrea Sacchi. 



The direct communication, from the Loggie to the 
Sculpture Galleries, having been closed to the public since 
September, 1870, it is now necessary to return to the 
Piazza of St. Peter's, and pass round the back of the 
Basilica, to where the Swiss Guards are standing sentry at 
the entrance to the Vatican on that side; then, passing 
under an archway on the left, we shall find, at the further 
extremity of the ascent before us, the entrance to 

THE VATICAN MUSEUM OP SCULPTURE * 

This grand Museum of ancient sculpture was founded by 
Clement XIV., 1769-75. Acting on the suggestion of 
E. Q. Visconti, and Winkelmann, he set apart a series of 
galleries and chambers into which the various masterpieces 
of ancient sculpture, dispersed through the halls of the 
Pontifical Palace, were collected together and made acces- 
sible to the public. The nucleus thus formed, additions 

* For fuller details regarding the masterpieces in this Museum, see The Vatican 
Museum of Sculpture, a lecture bv Mr. Shakspere Wood, obtainable at all libraries. 



Hall of the Greeh Gross. 



77 



have been constantly made to the collection, nntil it now 
contains nearly 1800 works. 

Ascending the staircase we enter 

THE HALL OF THE GEEEK CEOSS, 

on each side of which is a magnificent Porphyry Sarco- 
phagus. That on the right contained the body of the 
Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine. It was 
taken from her monument outside the Porta Maggiore, by 
Anastasius IV., 1150-54, who placed it in the Lateran, 
whence it was removed to the Vatican by Pius VI. 

The Sarcophagus, on the left, contained the body of 
Constantia (died 354), daughter of Constantine. It was 
taken by Pius VI. from her monument — still existing on 
the Via Salaria, close to the Church of St. Agnes — and 
placed by him in this hall, as a pendant to that of her 
mother. The surface of both these Sarcophagi has been 
entirely worked over, and various parts restored. 

On the floor are two ancient mosaics of great beauty : 
one representing a basket of flowers, found in the ruins 
called Roma VeccJiia, four miles outside the Porta Maggiore ; 
the other, circular in form, and occupying the centre of the 
floor, was found in 1741, among the ruins of Tusculum. 



574. The Venus of Cnidos, by 
Praxiteles ; an ancient copy, 
which has been partly cover- 
ed with metal drapery. 



600. The Tigeis. The head 
is a restoration by Michael 
Angelo. 



Proceeding up the stairs, we find a small circular room, 
The Hall op the Biga, on the right, and a long gallery, 
The Gallery op the Candelabra, immediately before us. 



78 



Tourist's JECandbooh to Rome. 



THE HALL OF THE BIGA. 



623. 



610. 



The Biga — in the middle of 
the room. A chariot drawn 
by two horses ; possibly a 
votive offering made by a 
victor in the circus races. It 
is in great part a restoration, 
the only antique portions 
being the body of the chariot 
and the barrel of one of the 
horses. 

The Indian Bacchus, com- 
monly called Sardanapalus, 
from that name being cut 
along the border of the 
mantle. 

Bacchus. 



611. Alcibiades. 

614. ApoUo. 

615. Discobolus, an ancient copy 
of the original, by Naukides. 

616. Phocion. 

618. Discobolus, an ancient copy 
of the original, by Myron, 
found in 1781 at the Villa 
Palombara on the Esquiline. 

619. An Auriga. A charioteer ; 
interesting as showing the 

cIXGSS* 

609, 613, 617, 621. Four small 
Sarcophagi, the bas-reliefs 
* on which represent the races 
in the circus. 



HALL OF THE CANDELABPtA. 



This Gallery contains a nnniber of objects, interesting 
from an archaeological, rather than from an artistic point of 
view. Chief among them are, a number of Sarcophagi; 
Cinerary Urns of oriental alabaster and other materials; 
Marble Candelabra ; richly ornamented Tazze and Vases ; 
and Columns, portions of domestic architecture, of 
marble, richly variegated. 



rare 



2 & 66. Nests, in each of which 
are five Cupids, supported 
on pedestals sculptured in 
the form of trunks of trees. 
Sarcophagus of a child, whose 
figure is recumbent on the 
lid. 

Candelabrum. 
Candelabrum. 

Cinerary urn of Egyptian 

granitello. 
Child plucking a bunch of 
grapes. 
52. Kecumbent Faun 

basalt. 
69. Vase of rare jasper 

Lysimaco. 
74. Satyr extracting a thorn from 

the foot of a Faun. 
81. Diana of Ephesus, found at 
Hadrian's Villa. 



20 



m green 
called 



82. Sarcophagus, with bas relief 
representing the murder 
of JEgisthus and Clytem- 
nestra. 

112. Sarcophagus, with bas relief 

representing the story of 

Protesilaus and Laodamia. 
143a. The Genius of Death. 
148a. Faun and Young Bacchus, 

found recently near the 

Scala Sancta. 
194. Child playing with a goose. 
204. Sarcophagus, with the story 

of the Children of Niobe. 
208. Portrait statue of a boy 

wearing the golden bulla. 
234. Candelabrum, found at Otri- 

coli. 
237. Idem. 

253. Ceres, a statuette of con- 
siderable beauty. 



The Eotonda. 



79 



Returning down the staircase, and crossing the Hall of 
the Greek Cross, we enter a large circular hall, called 

THE KOTOKDA. 



Porphyry Tazza of colossal di- 
mensions, in the centre of 
the room; found in the 
time of Julius III., 1550- 
55, among the ruins of the 
Baths of Trajan. It mea- 
sures 44^ feet in circum- 
ference. 

Mosaic Pavement of great beauty, 

found among the ruins of 541 
the Baths at Atricoli. 546. 

539. Jupiter: Colossal bust, sup- | 

posed to have been copied 
from the Jupiter Olympus, 
by Phidias. 

540. Antinous : colossal statue 548. 

found in 1733, at Pales- 
trina. 549. 

541. Faustina the Elder, wife 

of Antoninus Pius, found 550. 
at Hadrian's Villa. 

542. Ceres. Colossal statue. 

543. Hadrian. Colossal bust, 

found in his mausoleum ; 
now the Castle of Saint I 551. 
Angelo. ' 552. 

544. Colossal Hercules of gilt I 553. 

bronze, called the Hercules 
Mastai, from Pius IX., 
who purchased it at the 544. 
price of 50,000 scudi, 
(£10,000) from its dis- 556. 



coverer, Sig. Kighetti, and 
placed it in the Museum. 
It was found in 1864, 20 
feet below the level, in the 
courtyard of the Palazzo 
Biscione, near the Campo 
di Fiore. This Palace 
stands above the ruins of 
Pompey's Theatre. 

Antinous : colossal bust. 

The Barberini Juno : co- 
lossal statue ; found on 
the Viminal near the 
Church of St. Lorenzo in 
Panisperna. 

Nerva : colossal seated 
statue. 

Jupiter Serapis : colossal 
bust. 

Claudius Deified : colossal 
statue, found at Civita 
Lavinia in 1865 ; it was 
purchased for the Museum 
by Pius IX. 

Claudius, bust. 

Juno Sospita, the preserver. 

Plotina, wife of Trajan, co- 
lossal bust, found on the 
Coelian. 

Julia Pia, wife of Septimius 
Severus : colossal head. 

Pertinax : colossal bust. 



HALL OF THE MUSES. 

The statues of Apollo Musagetes and the Muses, from 
which this hall takes its name, were, with the exception of 
two (Euterpe, No. 520, and Urania, No. 504), found in the 
olive wood near Tivoli, among the ruins of an ancient villa, 
supposed to have been that of Cassius. 



80 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



499. Melpomene, the Muse of 
tragedy. 

502. Thalia, the Comic Muse. 

504. Urania, from the Lance- 
lots Palace at Velletri. 
This statue has been re- 
stored, with the attributes 
of the Muse of Astronomy, 
to complete the nine, but 
it is doubtful if it was 
originally a muse. 



506. Clio : the Historic Muse. 
508. Polyhymnia: the Muse of 

Memory. 
511. Erato : the Lyric Muse. 

515. Calliope : the Epic Muse. 

516. Apollo Musagetes. 

517. Terpsichore : the Muse of 

Lyric Song and Dance. 
520. Euterpe : the Muse of 
Music, from the Lancel- 
lotti Palace at Velletri. 



THE HALL OF ANIMALS. 

The contents of this hall have been graphically described 
as a "menagerie done into marble." The subjects are so 
obvious that it is unnecessary to specify them. 

Turning to the left through this hall, on leaving the Hall 
of the Muses, we enter that portion of the Museum called 



THE GALLEBY. 



In the middle of the room, opposite the door, is a cinerary 
urn of oriental alabaster, of large size and great beauty, 
which it is believed contained the ashes of Livilla, daughter 
of Germanicus ; and further on to the right, a magnificent 
bath of oriental alabaster. 



250. The Genius of the Vatican, 
a fragment of very great 
beauty, supposed to be 
the remains of an ancient 
copy of the celebrated 
Cupid of Praxiteles ; that 
which Phryne chose and 
presented to her native 
town of Thespis. 

255. Paris. 

261. Penelope. 

261. Apollo Sauroktonos ; the 
lizard killer. An ancient 
copy from the celebrated 
bronze by Praxiteles ; 
found on the Palatine in 
1777. 



265. Amazon : an exceedingly 
fine ancient copy from one 
of the fifty bronze statues 
of the conquered Amazons 
which adorned the Tem- 
ple of Diana at Ephesus. 
Eive of these statues were 
adjudged superior in merit 
to the others, and it is 
believed that the different 
Amazons found among the 
ruins of ancient Eome, are 
copies made from them. 
Another very fine copy 
from the same original 
from which this was taken, 
is in the Capitoline Mu- 



The Reserved Cabinet. 



81 



271. Posidippos : Greek comic 
poet. 

390. Menander. : the Prince of 
Greek comedy. 
These magnificent portrait sta- 
tues have come down to 
us in so wonderful a state 
of preservation, through 
their having been pre- 
served from injury in the 
Church of St. Lorenzo, in 
Panisperna, where, during 
the dark ages, they were 
reverenced as Christian 
saints. On the revival of 
letters, the name of Posi- 
dippos was read upon the 
base, the subjects recog- 
nised, and, by order of 
Sixtus V., they were re- 
moved to his villa on the 
Esquiline — now the Villa 
Negrone. The rivets of 
the metal plates, with 
which the feet were cover- 
ed, to prevent their being 
worn away by the kisses of 
the devout, still remain. 



393. Dido. 

396. The wounded Adonis. 
401. Hemon and Antigone. 

405. One of the daughters of 

Danaus, filling the sieve. 

406. Faun. One of the many 

ancient copies of the cele- 
brated masterpiece of 
Praxiteles. 
414. Ariadne : bought from Giro- 
lamo Maffei by Julius II., 
1503-13. This is one of 
the gems of the Vatican 
collection. It is perfect as 
a composition, the drapery 
is a masterpiece of art, 
and the restless sleep in 
which the nymph is lying 
is most admirably ren- 
dered. Ariadne is repre- 
sented at the moment 
when, sleeping on the 
island of Naxos, she was 
deserted by Theseus. For 
a long time this was sup- 
posed to be a statue of 
Cleopatra, on account of 
the armlet in the form of 
a small snake. 



THE KESEEVED CABINET, 
the door of which is in the recess opposite the entrance to 
the Gallery. 



Mosaic Pavement of great 
beauty, found at Hadrian's 
Villa in 1780, 

429. The Crouching Venus, 
found in some ruins on 
the Eoman Campagna, 
near the farm called 
Salone. 

431. Diana Lucifera. 

433. Faun, of rosso antico, the 
companion statue to that 
in the Capitoline Museum, 
and found at the same 
place, Hadrian's Villa, 
near Tivoli. 

435. Mithraic Genius. 

436. Tazza of rosso antico of 

great beauty, 



439. A Sella Balnearia, or bath 
chair, of rosso antico. It 
is supposed by some to be 
an example of the Sella 
Stercoraria used at the 
coronation of the Popes 
during the middle ages ; 
and recent discoveries tend 
to show that this name 
is a correct indication of 
the purpose these marble 
chairs served, in the more 
sumptuous houses and 
villas of ancient Eome. 

442. Ganymede. 

443. Adonis. 

Alto reliefs on the walls repre- 
senting the labours of Hercules. 



82 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Returning through the Hall of Animals, we enter the 
courtyard, with a small fountain in the centre, around 
which are four cabinets. 

THE FIRST CABINET, 

on the right, contains the celebrated group of Laocoon, No. 74. This 
magnificent work was discovered in 1506, near the ruins of the Baths 
of Trajan, commonly called the Baths of Titus, by a certain Felix de 
Freddis, from whom it was purchased by Julius H. It was at once 
recognised as being the group mentioned by Pliny, in his Natural 
History, as the work of three Khodian sculptors, Agesander, Atheno- 
clorus, and Polydorus. It illustrates the story of the tragic death of 
Laocoon and his sons, described in the 2nd Book of Virgil's iEneid. 
Laocoon, the priest of Neptune, having incurred the wrath of Minerva, 
by flinging a lance at the wooden horse to expose the deception, the 
goddess sent two serpents, who, entangling the old man and his sons 
in their folds, killed them on the altar on which they were about to 
sacrifice. 

The three raised arms are restorations. That of Laocoon should 
have been bent back so as to rest upon the head. 

THE SECOND CABINET 

contains the Apollo Belvedere, No. 92, the chef d'ozuvre of the col- 
lection, and for long considered the grandest example of ancient 
sculpture which has come down to us ; and although it is now recog- 
nised as but a copy from some still finer work, whose author's name 
even is unknown to us, it yet stands a marvel of the unsurpassed 
excellence of the great sculptors of antiquity. 

It was found at the end of the 15th century, among the ruins of the 
Palace of Nero, at Porto d'Anzio, the ancient Antium. It is supposed 
by some that the god is represented at the moment when he slew the 
Python ; by others, that he has discharged his arrow at the children 
of Niobe ; or again, that it is a copy from the celebrated bronze by 
Calamides, mentioned by Pliny, representing Apollo, the Averter of 
Evil, erected at Athens on the cessation of the great plague. 

A small bronze, discovered a few years ago, would lead to the sup- 
position that it represents Apollo holding the iEgis, the emblem of 
thunder, lightning, hail, and earthquake, and with it repelling the 
Gauls, who attacked Delphos, b.c. 278, and when, according to the 
legend, the deity came to the assistance of the Greeks. 

The hands are restorations. 

THE TITLED CABINET 

contains three works by Canova. In the centre Perseus with 
the head of the Gorgon, No. 32. On the right hand, the boxer 
Damoxesus, No. 33 ; and on the left, the boxer Creugas, No. 34. 



The Gallery. 



83 



When the great masterpieces of ancient sculpture were carried off 
to Paris by Napoleon L, the Perseus was bought from Canova by Pius 
VII., who placed it on the pedestal of the Apollo, and called it the 
Consoler. 

The subject of the two boxers is taken from Pausanius, who relates, 
that, rival champions, they fought for supremacy, or, as we might 
say, for " the belt." Victory remaining doubtful, it was decided that 
each should, without defence, withstand a blow from his opponent, 
standing in the attitude in which he placed him. Lots were drawn. 
The first fell to Creugas, who struck his adversary upon the head 
without injuring him ; whereon Damoxenus, having placed his man 
in the position represented by Canova, drove his hand with fearful 
force into his side, and killed him on the spot. The Athenians were 
so much disgusted with the want of fair play that they decreed the 
wreath of victory, posthumously, to Creugas, and banished Damoxenus 
from the city. 

THE FOUKTH CABINET 

contains the Mekcuey op the Belvedebe, No. 53. There can be 
little doubt that this statue, though possessed of less "subject" than 
the Apollo, in point of art surpasses it. It is sculptured in Parian 
marble of the very finest quality, and was found in the time of Paul 
III. , 1534-50, near the Church of St. Martino ai Monti. For a long 
time it was called The Antinous of the Belvedere, from its bearing 
some resemblance to Hadrian's favorite, a supposition which was 
strengthened by the fact of its having been discovered in the ruins 
of the Adrianopolo, a place built by that Emperor on the Esqui- 
line. The mistake was rectified by Visconti. The palm-tree which 
gives support to the leg was- sacred to Mercury. 

The right ankle has the appearance of being somewhat distorted. 
This is due to the unskilful manner in which the broken pieces were 
put together, and to the sculptor employee! for the purpose, having 
rasped away some of the marble to make the edges even. 

Having made the circuit of the Cabinets, and returned to 
the entrance of the Hall of Animals, we must now cross 
the courtyard, and entering a small vestibule, we find, in a 
recess on the left, another of the masterpieces of the col- 
lection, Meleager, the slayer of the Caledonian boar, No. 10. 

Though ancient sculpture generally suffers through restor- 
ation, this statue would probably have gained, had the 
wanting hand been replaced. It held the lance on which 
the hero was represented as leaning, the absence of which 
causes the figure to appear somewhat off its balance. The 



84 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



marble also, which is that from Mount Hymettus, detracts 
from the effect of the statue, through its cold blueish tint 
and opaque quality. It was found in the 15th century, in 
a vineyard outside the Porta Portese. 

Continuing onwards, we come to one of the great treasures 
of the collection, the celebrated Torso, No. 3. This maerhifi- 
cent fragment was found near the Campo di More, in the time 
of Julius II., 1503-13. It was an object of continued study 
by Michael Angelo, and has been a source of admiration 
from all artists, from his day to our own. It is, however, 
too much injured to obtain a full recognition of its beauties 
by the general public. On the base is the name of the 
sculptor, Apollonius, the son of Nestor ; but as this name is 
unknown in the records of art, it is presumed to be that of 
the artist who copied it, from, in all probability, the Her- 
cules deified, by Lysvppus. It is believed that the statue 
represented Hercules seated at the table of the gods, his 
right hand resting on the club, and holding the wine cup 
aloft in his left. 

Against the wall, is the Sarcophagus, No. 2, of the stone 
called peperino, which contained the body of Scipio Barbatus, 
who took Taurisia and Samnium, and conquered Lucania. 
He was the great-grandfather of Scipio Africanus. This 
sarcophagus was found in the tomb of the Scipios, on the 
Appian Way, in the year 1780, together with a number of 
inscriptions, now on the walls around it, all relating to the 
same family. 

Descending a few steps, we enter the long 

CHIAEAMONTI GALLERY, 

which contains a number of works, chiefly interesting from 
an archaeological point of view only. 



TJw Gallery. 



85 



62. Hygeia. 

112. Venus ; worthless in point 
of art, but interesting as 
being a copy from the cele- 
brated Venus of Cnydos, 
by Praxiteles. 

121. Clio, the Muse of History. 

176. Niobld. This magnificent 
fragment is the finest re- 
presentation of drapery in 
marble to be found in the 
museum. The subject is 
doubtful. It is supposed 
by some to be one of the 
daughters of Niobe flying 
from the shafts of Apollo 
and Diana ; by others, to 
be Diana descending from 
her chariot to visit Endy- 
mion. 

179. Sarcophagus, with the story 

of Alcestis. 
197. Minerva, colossal bust. 
240. Britannicus. 
352. Venus. 

399. Tiberius ; colossal head. 

400. Tiberius ; semi - colossal 

statue, seated. 
416. The Young Augustus, one 
of the most beautiful heads 
in the collection. It is 
perfect as a work of art, 
and bears undoubted evi- 
dence of being a most 
truthful portrait of Augus- 
tus, at about the age of 
fifteen. It was found in 



1808, at Ostia, by Eobert 
Fagan, then English Con- 
sul. 

417, 419. Caius and Lucius, the 
grandsons of Augustus, 
children of Julia and 
Agrippa; found in 1859, 
near the Church of Sta. 
Balbina. 

422. Demosthenes; bust. 

493. Diadumenianus, son of the 

Emperor Macrinus. 

494. Tiberius ; semi - colossal 

statue, seated. 

495. Cupid; believed to be an 

ancient copy from the cele- 
brated Cupid by Lysippus. 

497. Fragment of a large sarco- 
phagus, on which is the 
representation of a corn 
mill turned by horses ; 
found outside the Porta 
San Giovanni, in 1836. 

510a. Cato. 

512. Caius Marius (?) 

544. Silenus. 

546. Sabina, the wife of Hadrian. 

547. Isis ; colossal bust. 

635. Hercules holding Telephus 

in his arms. 
682. Antoninus Pius; found at 

Hadrian's Villa. 
698. Cicero (?) bust, found at the 

Villa of the Quintilii, on 

the Appian Way. 
701. Ulysses. 
732. Hercules recumbent. 



Just before reaching the end of the Cliiaramonti Gallery, 
we turn to the right, into the 



BEACCIO NUOVO, 
which contains some of the finest works in the collection. 



5. Caryatid, supposed to have 
belonged to the Temple of 
Pandrosia at Athens. The 
head and fore arms are 
restorations, by Tlior- 
waldsen. 



8. Commodus. 

11. Silenus with the Infant 
Bacchus. 



80 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



14. Augustus ; this magnificent 
statue was found in 1863, 
at Prima Porta, about 
eight miles from Eome, 
among the ruins of a 
Villa, Livia had at that 
spot. It is without ex- 
ception the finest imperial 
portrait statue which has 
come down to us. The 
small figures sculptured 
on the cuirass are exceed- 
ingly beautiful ; the statue 
bears very distinct traces 
of colouring. 

23. Pudicizia; Modesty; evi- 
dently a portrait statue of 
some imperial or noble 
Eoman lady. The head 
and right hand are restor- 
ations. 

26. Titus ; evidently an exact 
portrait, both of face and 
figure. Found near the 
Lateran in 1828. 

39. Colossal vase of black Egyp- 
tian basalt ; found in frag- 
ments in the Quirinal. 

44. Wounded Amazon. 

50. Diana ; supposed to be look- 
ing upon Endymion. 

53. Euripides. 

62. Demosthenes. This grand 
portrait of the great Athe- 
nian orator was found 
among the ruins of ancient 
Tusculum, and, it is 
thought, may possibly 
have belonged to Cicero. 
Both hands, with the roll 
held by them, are restora- 
tions. 

67. The Athlete, with the 
Strigil, called The Apox- 
yomenos. This fine statue 
was discovered in 1849, in 
the Yicolo della Palme, in 
the Trastevere . It was at 
once recognised to be an 
ancient copy of the cele- 
Tu.ITlm2• to the rio'ht 



71. 
77. 



83. 

86. 

92. 
109. 



111. 



114. 



120. 



123. 
129. 
132. 



brated bronze Athlete by 
Lysippus, described by 
Pliny, who relates that it 
was brought from Greece 
by Marcus Agrippa, and 
placed by him in the por- 
tico of his Thermal. 
Amazon. 

Antonia, wife of the elder 
Drusus ; found at Tuscu- 
lum. 

Ceres ; found at Ostia in 
1856. 

Fortune ; found at Ostia in 
1798. 

Venus Anadyomene. 

The Nile. This grand 
group was discovered near 
the Church of Sta. Maria 
sopra Minerva, in the time 
of Leo X., 1513-22. It is 
believed to be an ancient 
copy from a group in ba- 
salt, described by Pliny as 
having been placed by 
Vespasian in the Temple 
of Peace. 

Julia, daughter of Titus ; 
found, together with that 
of her father, No. 26, im- 
mediately opposite, in 
1828, near the Lateran. 

Minerva Medica; sculp- 
tured in Parian marble of 
the finest quality ; but it 
has been worked over and 
the original surface en- 
tirely removed. It was 
found in the ruin near the 
Porta Maggiore, called the 
Temple of Minerva. (See 
page 33.) 

Faun, an ancient copy of 
the celebrated Faun by 
Praxiteles; the same as 
No. 406 in "The Gallery." 

Lucius Verus. 

Domitian. 

Mercury. 



on leaving the Nuovo Braccio, we 



The Library. 



87 



find, at the end of the Chiaramonti Gallery, a closed gate, 
which leads into the Gallery of Inscriptions, and through 
this gate admission is given, to small parties at a time, to 

THE LIBRARY, 

in which, notwithstanding the value of its contents, espe- 
cially in MSS., no "books are visible, beyond a few choice 
editions, and an example or two of the rarer illuminated 
MSS., placed in show cases, which will be opened "by the 
custode if he is not pressed for time, through other visitors 
waiting for entrance. The contents of the Library are 
contained in closed cupboards round the sides of the rooms. 
It is, however, well worth visiting, if only on account of the 
grand Hall, which forms its chief feature. The first two 
rooms are devoted to the use of the librarians and persons 
admitted to study. We then enter the Great Hall, which 
is 230 feet in length by 56 wide. It has a double vaulted 
ceiling, supported by pilasters, and is richly decorated with 
frescoes and arabesques. Between the pilasters are placed 
a number of handsome presents, sent to the Popes of this 
century ; among which are some Sevres vases and cande- 
labra given by Napoleon I. to Pius VII.; the baptismal 
font of the Prince Imperial, sent to Pius IX. by Napoleon 
III. ; and a magnificent tazza of Scotch granite, presented by 
the late Duke of Northumberland. 

At the end of the great Hall, the Library branches off to 
the right and to the left. In the wing to the right, there 
are no objects of interest, but in the rooms to the left, 
there is an interesting collection of Christian antiquities, 
chiefly from the Catacombs ; and at the end, a small collec- 
tion of pictures, of the early Italian schools. In a room to 
the side is the celebrated Nozze Aldobrandini, with some 



S8 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



other ancient Roman frescoes ; and also a choice collection 
of brick stamps. 

THE ETKUSCAN MUSEUM, 
fonnded by Gregory XIY., contains a number of Etruscan 
antiquities, discovered in the excavations made at Toscanella, 
Cervetri, Corneto, Yolterra, Tarquinii, Ynlci, and other 
places, and is well worth visiting. 

THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, 
founded by Pius VII., contains little of interest for those 
who have visited the collections of Egyptian antiquities in 
the British Museum and the Louvre, beyond a number of 
statues sculptured in Rome, in the Egyptian style, for the 
Emperor Hadrian, to ornament the Can opus in his villa, 
near Tivoli, among the ruins of which they were found. 

FROM THE PORTA DEL POPOLO TO THE 
CAPITOL. 

The modern Porta del Popolo supplies the place of the 
celebrated Porta Flaminia, though there is reason to believe 
that the ancient gate was somewhat higher on the side of 
the Pincio. It was built in the time of Pius IV., 1559-66, by 
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, from, it is said, the designs of 
Michael Angelo. The statues of St. Peter and St. Paul on the 
outside are by Mochi, and the columns, between which they 
stand, originally belonged to the ancient basilica of St. Peter. 
The frontage of the gate toward the city was constructed 
by Bernini, in the time of Alexander VII., 1655-67.* 

_ * Immediately outside the gate, on the right, is the Villa Boeghese. The exten- 
Give grounds, through which there is a charming drive, are open every day, excepting 
Monday. The Villa contains an interesting collection of sculpture, but is only open 
to visitors on the afternoons of Saturday. 



Church of Sta. Maria del Popolo. 89 

It opens upon one of the finest piazzas of the city — The 
Piazza del Popolo, from which radiate three principal streets 
— the Via Babnino, leading to the Piazza de Spagna, on the 
left; the Via Ripetta, on the right; and the Corso inter- 
secting the city, between them. Handsome fountains, 
adorned, with sculpture, ornament the sides, and on the left 
rises the Pincian Hill — the fashionable drive — richly planted, 
and divided into terraces, each supported by an architec- 
tural frontage, ornamented with statues and rostral columns. 
The Obelisk, in the centre, was brought from Egypt by 
Augustus to adorn the Circus Maximus, from whence it was 
removed to its present position by Sixtus V., in 1589. The 
shaft measures 78 feet, and, from the level of the Piazza to 
the summit of the cross, 120 feet. 

To the left of the gate, on entering, stands the 

CHUKCH OF STA. MAKIA DEL POPOLO, 

built, according to the legend, on the site where Nero was 
buried, in the sepulchre of the Domitii. On this spot grew 
a tree which, being infested by evil spirits, was uprooted by 
Paschal II., 1099-1118, who erected a chapel, in order to 
purge the place from the baneful influence surrounding it. 
To maintain the memory of this event, the Roman people, in 
1227, built a church on the site of the chapel, placing it 
under the invocation of St. Mary of the People. This 
church was rebuilt in its present form by Sixtus IV., 1471- 
84. It contains many objects of interest, particularly 
several paintings by Piutaricchio, and a number of fine 
examples of the richly carved monuments of the 15th century. 

First Chapel, commencing on the right. Over the altar, 
the Nativity, by Pinturicchio. On the vaulted ceiling are 
lunettes, containing subjects from the life of St. Jerome, by 



90 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



PinturiccMo. On the left, is the monument of Cardinal 
Christof oro della Rovere ; and on the right, that of Cardinal 
di Castro — both fine examples of 15th century work. 

Second Chapel, of the Cibo family, richly decorated with 
columns of Sicilian jasper, and panellings and pilasters 
of verde antique. Over the altar is the Assumption, by Carlo 
Maratta. 

Third Chapel; painted hy PinturiccMo. The picture over 
the altar represents the Virgin and Child, with St. Joseph 
and St. Augustine. That on the left wall, the Assumption. 
The lunettes on the vault, incidents from the life of the 
Virgin. Under the painting, on the left, is an interesting 
recumbent bronze figure of an unknown bishop. 

Fourth Chapel, has a very fine 15th century altar-piece, 
in marble, the figures on which represent St. Catherine 
between St. Anthony of Padua and St. Vincent. The fres- 
coes in this chapel are also by PinturiccMo. On the wall 
of the right transept is a fine 15th century monument, 
erected to Cardinal Podocantharus of Cyprus. 

Over the high altar is a miraculous picture of the Virgin? 
one of those attributed to St. Luke. 

In the Choir behind the altar, are two exceedingly beautiful 
15th century monuments by Sansovino, erected to Cardinal 
Ascanio Sforza and Cardinal Girolamo Basso, nephews of 
Julius II. The vaulting was painted by PinturiccMo. 

The Chapel, to the left of the high altar, has over the altar 
an Assumption by Annibale Caracci, and paintings on the 
side walls by Michael Angelo da Caravaggio. 

In the left transept is another fine 15th century monuu 
ment, erected to Cardinal Bernardino Lonati. 

Continuing along the left aisle ; the last chapel but one, is 
that of the Chigi family. It was built from the design 



Church of Sta. Maria del Popolo. 



91 



made by Raphael, who also made the drawings for the 
mosaics in the Cupola, executed by Aloisio delta Face, and 
for the picture over the altar, representing the Nativity of 
the Virgin ; but in consequence of his premature death, the 
painting was entrusted to Sebastiano del Piombo, and finally 
completed by Francesco Salviati. The statue of Jonah, in 
the further corner to the left, was also modelled by Raphael, 
and executed in marble by Lorenzetto. The statue of Elijah 
is by Lorenzetto, and those of Daniel and Habakkuk by 
Bernini. 

In the last Chapel, on the left, are two fine 16th century 
Ciboria, and a monument of the same period, erected to 
Cardinal Antonio Pallavicini. 

Relics of The Seven Sleepers are said to be preserved in 
this church ; and it was in the Augustine Monastery, at- 
tached to it, that Luther abode while in Rome. 

The twin Churches, one on each side of the entrance to 
The Corso, are dedicated — that on the right to Santa 
Maria de Miracoli; that on the left to Santa Maria di 
Montesanto. They were commenced by Alexander VII. , 
1655-67, and finished at the expense of Cardinal Gastaldi. 

Proceeding along the Corso, which follows the line of the 
ancient Flaminian Way, in the first street, on the left, the 
Via della Fontanella, was the studio of the great sculptor, 
John Gibson, Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 7. It is now turned into 
coach houses. 

rTo. 518, on the right of the Corso, is the palace of the 
Russian Embassy. In the courtyard, there is an unfinished 
work of Michael Angelo's, rejected by the sculptor. 

In the house opposite, No. 18, the great German poet, 
Goethe, lived while in Rome. 



92 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



The little studio, in the first courtyard of No. 504, was 
occupied by the great American sculptor, Thomas Crawford, 
at the commencement of his career. In it he modelled his 
Flora. 

On the left, after passing No. 44, is the Church of the 
G-esu e Maria, founded about 1640, from the plans of Carlo 
Maderno. The fa9ade was designed by Rainaldi. 

Almost immediately opposite, is the Church of San GriA- 
como degl' Incurabile, designed by Francesco Bicciarelli da 
Volterra, and completed by Carlo Maderno. The adjoining 
Hospital, to which this church belongs, was founded in 
1339, by Cardinal Pietro Colonna. 

In the street by the side of the Hospital, the Yicolo di San 
Giacoino, is a range of low buildings, in the wall of oue end 
of which a number of fragments of ancient sculpture have 
been inserted. This was the studio of the great sculptor, 
Canova. It will be additionally recognised by the tablet 
upon the wall. 

After passing No. 468, on the right, we turn into the Via 
dei Pontefici, and entering through the gateway of the 
Palazzo Corea, No. 57, find the ruins of 

THE MAUSOLEUM OF AUGUSTUS, 

very much hidden among the houses surrounding it, and 
transformed into an open air theatre for equestrian per- 
formances. A considerable portion, however, of the outer 
wall is still visible, and the cavea and arena of the modern 
circus will convey a sufficient idea of its size, and of its cir- 
cular form, which was the same as that of the Mausoleum 
of Hadrian, now the Castle of St. Angelo. It measured 255 
feet in diameter. By application to the custode, entrance can 
be obtained into some of the lower chambers. They will 



Mausoleum of Augustus. 



93 



be found exceedingly interesting, their original formation 
being unchanged. 

It was founded by Augustus, in the year of his sixth 
consulate, 28 B.C. Five years later the ashes of Marcellus — 
" Tu Marcellus eris," were laid in it. Then followed : Marcus 
Agrippa, who was married to Julia, the daughter of Augustus, 
B.C. 13; Octavia, sister of Augustus, and wife of Mark 
Antony ; Drusus, the elder brother of the Emperor Tiberius, 
B.C. 8 ; Caius and Lucius, the children of Julia and Agrippa 
—the Emperor Augustus, a.d. 14 ; Germanicus, a.d. 19 ; 
Drusus the younger, son of Tiberius, a.d. 23 ; Livia, the 
widow of Augustus, a.d. 29; the Emperor Tiberius, a.d. 37. 
Then, the ashes of Agrippina, the widow of Germanicus, 
and of her two sons, Nero and Drusus, were placed in the 
monument by her son, the Emperor Caligula. Next fol- 
lowed Antonia, the widow of Drusus, and mother of Ger- 
manicus. Then the ashes of the Emperor Caligula were 
removed hither ; followed by the Emperor Claudius, a.d. 54; 
Britannicus, son of Claudius, a d. 55 ; and lastly, the Em- 
peror Nerva, a.d. 98. 

The Mausoleum remained intact until 409 a.d., when 
Alaric broke it open, and rifled the sarcophagi and urns in 
search of treasure. Daring the middle ages it was turned 
into a fortress by the Colonna family, and ultimately became 
a ruin, through the damage it received during' the faction 
fights of that period. In the year 1354 it finally served as 
the funeral pyre of the great Tribune, Cola de Eienzi. 
After his murder, his body, having been hung by the 
feet for two days in front of the Church of St. Marcellus, 
was dragged through the streets, to the ruins of the 
Mausoleum of Augustus, where, being thrown upon a heap 
of dried thistles, it was burnt till not a vestige remained. 



94 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Returning to the Corso. After passing on the right No. 
444, the street widens into a small piazza, in which is the 
Chuech of St. Caelo, the national chnrch of the Lombards. 
It was originally dedicated to St. Nicolo del Tnf o, but having 
fallen into a ruinous condition, it was given by Sixtus rV., 
in 1471, to the Lombards, who rebuilt it from the founda- 
tions, and dedicated it to Saint Ambrose. It was again 
rebuilt in 1612, and, on the canonisation of St. Carlo Bor- 
romeo, Archbishop of Milan, his name was included in the 
dedication, and it is now known by his alone. It is a hand- 
some church, richly decorated, with a fine dome, but does 
not contain any objects of particular interest. 

Passing where the Yia Condotti and its continuation, the 
Yia della Fontanella Borghese, intersect the Corso, we find 
on the right, the noble Palace of the Buspoli family, built 
in 1586 by Ammanati, filling the space between the Via della 
Fontanella Borghese, and the Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina. 

Opposite is the Palazzo Beexixi. No. 151, built by the 
great sculptor, and where he resided. In a recess in the 
entrance is a statue of Truth, " the naked truth," by him — 
not in his best style— allusive to the calumnies through which 
he suffered. 

Nearly opposite the Palazzo Bernini, is the Piazza, which 
takes its name from the church on the further side, dedicated 
to St. Lorenzo ix Lttclxa, so called, because, according to 
some, it was built on the ruins of a temple to Juno Lucina, 
or, according to others, on the site of the house or land 
belonging to Sta. Lucina, a Roman matron, niece of the 
Emperor Gallienus. The church is said to have been 
originally founded by Sixtus III., 432-40. In 1650 it was 
in great part rebuilt, and assumed its present form. Over 
the high altar is a painting of the Crucifixion, by Guido 



The Post Office. 



95 



Reni, one of his finest works ; and against one of the pilas- 
ters on the right, the monument erected by Chateaubriand 
to Nicholas Poussin, who is buried here. 

In the courtyard of the Palazzo Fiano, which forms the 
corner of the Piazza and the Corso on that side, are some 
magnificent colossal fragments of the marble cornice of a 
grand edifice, on the ruins of which the Palace was founded 
in the 14th century. Those ruins went by the name of the 
Palace of Domitian. 

Close to this spot, the Via Flaminia was spanned by a 
Triumphal Aech erected to Antoninus Pius. It remained 
standing, though in a somewhat ruined condition, till 1665, 
when it was thrown down by Alexander VII., for the greater 
convenience of the races along the Corso, during Carnival. 
The position of the arch is marked by a tablet to comme- 
morate this act of vandalism, inserted in the wall of No. 167. 
It was ornamented with sculptures in alto relief, and columns 
of the rarest verde antique. The alto reliefs were removed 
to the Capitol, and are now on the wall of the staircase of the 
Palace of the Conservatory Nos. 49 and 50 ; of the four 
columns, two are in the Church of St. Agnese, and two are 
above the altar of the Corsini Chapel in St. John Lateran. 

We next reach the magnificent Palace of the Chigi 
Family, commenced in 1526, by Giacomo delta Porta, con- 
tinued by Carlo Maderno, and completed by Filipjpo delta 
Greca. The flank of this palace forms one side of The 
Piazza Colonna; the side along the Corso is formed by 
the Palace of Prince Piombino, in front of which are a 
number of shops ; the third side, opposite to the Palazzo 
Piombino, is occupied by the Post Office ; and on the 
fourth, is the small church of San Bartolommeo de Berga- 
maschi, and some private houses. In the centre stands 



96 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



THE ANTONINE COLUMN, 

erected to Marcus Aurelius, A.d. 174. It is covered, from 
the base to the summit, with sculpture in bas relief, illus- 
trating the war against the Marcomanni. One of the 
events represented, is that recorded by Eusebius, of the 
miraculous rain which followed the prayers of the — 
thenceforth called — thundering legion. The army was 
suffering through want of water. The Emperor was told 
that the soldiers of one of the legions, who were Christians, 
believed that everything was attainable through prayer. 
" Let them pray, then," he replied. They fell upon their 
knees, and immediately the heavens became overcast, a peal 
of thunder was heard, and down came the long desired 
rain. 

The statue of Marcus Aurelius is believed to have been 
torn from the summit by Constans II., who, during his visit 
to Rome in 663, pillaged the city of all the bronze he could 
obtain. In 1589, Sixtus V. cleared away a number of 
wretched habitations which had been built around the 
column, and confided its complete restoration to JPonta/na. 
The pedestal was entirely refaced with marble, and the 
bronze statue of St. Peter, which originally was gilt, placed 
upon the summit.* 

The column is formed of 28 blocks of marble, and measures 
125 feet in height. The ascent to the summit is made by 
190 steps, lighted by 41 loopholes. The massive base, 12 
feet in height, on which the pedestal stands, and in which 

* On this work Sixtus spent 9640 scudi, or rather more than ^2000, of which 250 
scudi were paid to Constantino de Servi for the model of the statue ; 1942 scudi to 
Bastiano Torregiani for the casting ; and 165 scudi to Tomasso Moneta for gilding it. 
The statue originally faced towards the Piazza del Popolo, but the Pope, not approving 
of this, 300 scudi were expended in tm-ning it towards the Vatican. The amount of 
metal employed was 12,777 lbs., valued at 1597 scudi. 



Chamber of Deputies. 



97 



is the original door into the column, is hidden below the 
modern level of the Piazza. The statue of St. Peter is 
fourteen feet in height. 

Behind the Post Office is the Piazza di Monte Citorio, 
one side of which is formed by the palace of the same name, 
built in 1650, from the designs by Bernini. It is also called 
the Curia Innocenziana, from its having been set apart by 
Innocent XII. to serve as law courts for the trial of civil 
causes. In 1871 it was converted into the 

CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES 

to the Italian Parliament. 

The Chamber itself is a temporary construction, erected 
within the enormous courtyard of the Palace, the rooms of 
which have been adapted to serve as committee-rooms, 
library, reading rooms, and other purposes connected with 
the business of the Lower House. We are admitted by 
ticket into the Gallery,* one part of which is reserved for 
ladies, and another for gentlemen. The seats for the 
Deputies are arranged in a semicircle, opposite to which is 
a raised platform for the President, and the officials of the 
House. On the floor, in front of this platform, and facing 
the Deputies, is a long table, covered with blue, at which the 
Ministers sit. At the table, in the form of a segment of a 
circle, opposite to the Ministers, sit the members of the 
Commission on the bill under discussion. The little square 
table in the middle of the floor is for the official steno- 
graphers. The seats of the Deputies are divided by steps 
into eight radiations. The two immediately below us, and 
to the left of the President, are occupied by the members of 

* One portion of the Gallery is open to the puhlic, hut it is generally oroirded b] th< 
lower orders. 

H 



98 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



the extreme left — the Opposition. The next division, by the 
Left Centre ; the next two, by the Centre ; the next one, by 
the Right Centre ; and the two at the end of the half circle 
furthest from us, by the Right — the supporters of the 
Government. Above, and behind the President, and on the 
same level with the Gallery, is a range of tribunes. The 
large square tribune nearest to us, is for the members of the 
Senate ; the corresponding one on the further side, is for the 
Diplomatic body. Those between, and somewhat further 
back, are for ex-Deputies, members of the Royal household, 
and Government officials. The first division of the Gallery 
furthest from us, is reserved for Municipal officials; the 
next five, for the Press ; the two in the centre, facing the 
President, are open to the public ; the next one is reserved 
for members of the National Guard ; the remainder, where 
we are sitting, are for ladies and gentlemen admitted by 
ticket. On the wall behind the President, are inscribed the 
different Plebiscites which united the Italian States into one 
kingdom, and on the bracket in the middle is a bust of the 
King. 

The best time to visit the Chamber, for those who do not 
desire to listen to the debate, is half-an-hour before dusk, 
in order to see the lighting up, which is very effective. 

In the middle of the Piazza is The Obelisk, mentioned by 
Pliny as having been brought from Heliopolis by Augustus, 
and erected by him in the Campus Marti us, to serve as the 
gnomon to an enormous sundial. Portions of the gigantic 
bronze circle and radiations were found, from time to time 
during the L5th and 16th centuries, in the neighbourhood 
of the Church of St. Lorenzo in Lucina; and at the com- 
mencement of the 16th century, the obelisk, broken into 
several pieces, was discovered below the level of the Via del 



Fountain of Trevi. 



99 



Impresa. It was not excavated, however, tijl 1748, when 
it was found to be so much injured, through breakage and 
the effect of fire, that nothing was done with it till 1792, 
when it was put together by order of Pius VI., and erected 
in its present position. It was repaired with the fragments 
of the colossal granite column of Antoninus Pius, found 
entire in 1704, but which had been split to pieces by the 
people lighting a fire against it, daring the cold winter of 
1705.* The obelisk is 72| feet in length, and the height 
from the ground to the summit 96J feet. 

Continuing along the Corso, as far as No. 335 on the 
right, we turn down the Via de Pietra into the Piazza di 
Pietea. On the left side are the magnificent remains of 
an ancient edifice, supposed by some to have been The 
Basieica of Axtoxixus Pius ; by others, The Temple of 
Neptune. The spaces between the eleven Corinthian 
columns, which measure 4ft. 2in. in diameter, and 39ft. 6in. 
in height, were walled in by Innocent XII. in 1695, to form 
part of the Custom House of modern Rome. 

Returning to the Corso, and continuing along the Via 
delle Muratte, immediately opposite, we come to the 
grandest of the many fountains of Rome, 

THE FOUNTAIN OF TEE VI. 

It was commenced by order of Clement XII., 1730-40, 
but was not completed till 1762, in the time of Clement XIII. 

It is supplied by the Aqua Virgine; first brought into 
Rome by Marcus Agrippa. According to the legend, some 
of his soldiers passing across the Campagna, tired and faint 



* This column was 57 feet in height and 6 in diameter. The beautiful sculptured 
base of white marble on which it 6tood is now in the garden of the Vatican. 



100 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



with, thirst, were shown the source by a young virgin, hence 
the name. During the 5th or 6th century the aqueduct was 
broken, and the flow of the water interrupted for a thousand 
years, till, in 1560, it was again introduced by Pius IV., who 
erected a fountain, close to this spot, with three large aper- 
tures through which the water passed, and from which the 
name Trevi (Trivio) was derived. In the centre is a grand 
figure of Oceanus, on a car drawn by two sea horses led by 
tritons, the work of Pietro Bracci. In the niches behind 
are statues of Fertility and Salubrity, and above them bas 
reliefs — one representing the maiden pointing out the source 
to the soldiers, the other, Agrippa, examining the plan for 
the aqueduct. On the attic above are statues of the Four 
Seasons. 

Returning to the Corso, No. 239 is 

THE PALAZZO SCIAEEA, 

built in 1603, by Flaminio Ponzio. The doorway was 
designed by Antonio Labhaco, or some say by Vignola. 
The Gallery, which contains an interesting collection, num- 
bering 284 works of art, is open to the public on Saturdays 
from 10 to 4. 

Fiest Eoom. 

4. The Virgin and infant Jesus, j 13. Holy Family : Innocenzo da 

with St. Laurence and St. Imola. 

John : Pietro Perugino. j 15. Rome Triumphant : Valentin 

5. Death of St. John the Baptist : j 20. Madonna & Child : Titian. 

Valentin. ' 23. Sta. Francesca Romana : 

Carlo Veneziano. 

Second Eoom. 



16. Landscape : Salvator Bosa. 

17. The Flight into Egypt: 

Claude Lorrain. 



18. Sunset : Claude Lorrain. 
36. St. Matthew : Nicholas Pous- 



in. 



Church of St. Marcellus. 



101 



Third 

6. Holy Family : Francia. 
9. Boar Hunt: Garofolo. 
11. Holy Family : Andrea del 
Sarto. 

17. The Introduction of St. An- 
drew of Padua into Hea- 
ven : Gaudenzio Ferrari. 

23. "Noli me Tangere-y Garofolo. 

26. The Vestal Claudia drawing 
the galley, bearing the 



Room. 

statue of Cybele, up the 

Tiber with her girdle : 

Garofolo. 
29. Tavern Scene : Teniers. 
33. The Fornarina : Copy from 

Raphael by Julio Romano. 
36. Ptepose of the Holy Family 

during the Flight into 

Egypt: Lucas Cranach ; 

dated 1504. 



Fourth Boom. 



1. Holy Family : Fra Barto- 
lommeo. 

5. St. John the Evangelist : 

Guercino. 

6. TheViolin Player: Raphael 

7. St. Mark: Guercino. 

8. Herodias receiving the head 

of St. John the Baptist : 

Guercino. 
12. Conjugal Love : Agostino 

Caracci. 
16. The Gamblers : Michael 

Angelo da Caravaggio. 



Le- 



17. Modesty and Vanity : 

onardo da VincL 
19. Magdalen : Guido Reni. 

24. A Family Portrait : Titian. 

25. Portrait : Bronzino. 

26. St. Sebastian : Perugino. 
24. Martyrdom of St. Erasmus 

Poussin. 
29. The Bell \ Donna 

31. The death of the 

Albert Durer. 

32. The Magdalen : 



Titian. 
Virgin : 



Guido 



Reni. 



Directly opposite to the Sciarra Palace is the New 
Savings Bank, built by Cipolla. 

At this spot, the Via Flaminia was spanned by a Trium- 
phal Arch erected to the Emperor Claudius. Nothing is 
known as to the period of its destruction, but a considerable 
portion of its remains were discovered beneath the level of 
the Oorso, in 1565. The bas relief, No. 41, on the staircase 
of the Palace of the Conservatory on the Capitol, belonged to 
this arch. 

No. 307, on the right, is The Simonetti Palace, and 
opposite to it is 



THE GHUECH OF ST. MAHCELLUS. 
It was originally the private house of a Roman matron. 
Lucina, and was given by her to Pope St. Marcellus, about 



102 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



the year 305, that he might convert it into a Christian church , 
Immediately afterwards, it was profaned by Maxentins, who 
turned it into a stable, making the Pope serve as ostler, and 
die a lingering death. Shortly after the triumph of Chris- 
tianity, the church was rebuilt, and dedicated to the mar- 
tyred Pope. In 1375 it was restored by Gregory XI. On 
the 22nd May, 1519, it fell down; but the great crucifix of 
wood, now in the fourth chapel, on the right, remaining 
uninjured in its place, with the lamp burning before it 
unextinguished, religious enthusiasm was sufficiently aroused 
to cause plentiful subscriptions to pour in to rebuild it. 

The architect employed was Giacomo Sansovino, who - 
transposed the direction of the church, making it face upon 
the Corso. The facade was added somewhat later, from 
the designs of Carlo Fontana, 

The Third Chapel, on the right, belongs to the Clifford 
family, and contains the monument of Cardinal Thomas 
Weld, who died 1837. 

The Fourth Chapel, on the right, in which is the miraculous 
crucifix, has, on the vault, some frescoes commenced by 
Pierino del Vaga, and completed from his cartoons by 
Daniello da Volterra. The Creation of Eve, in the centre, 
and the picture of the Evangelists St. Mark and St. John, 
on the right, are by the former.* This chapel contains the 
monument of Cardinal Gronsalvi, the famous Secretary of 
State to Pius VII. , who is buried beneath. 

The Fourth Chapel, on the left, belonging to the Frangi- 
pani, has an altarpiece representing the Conversion of St' 
Paul, by Federico Zuccheri. Of the monumental busts 

* There are passages in Vasari and Lanzi, quoted in all guide boolcs to the present 
day, lauding the beauty of the colouring of these frescoes, but it has long faded past 
recognition. 



Church of Santa Maria. 



103 



ranged on each side, three are by Algardi ; the others are of 
earlier date. 

The great fresco of the Crucifixion, above the door, was 
painted by Giovan Battista Bicci. 

To the right of the door, on leaving, is the fine 15th cen- 
tury monument of Cardinal ATichieli. 

This church has recently, been restored. 

On the right we find the "Via Lata, and, at the farther 
corner, the Church of 

SANTA MARIA IN VIA LATA, 

built upon the remains of "his own hired house" in which 
" Paul divelt two ivhole years." 

Descending by a staircase, on the left of the portico, we 
enter a series of three rooms, grievously transformed by 
restorations, and encumbered by modern altars, but yet 
showing sufficient evidence of their original construction. In 
these rooms, or in rooms of the house of which these form 
the ground floor, St. Paul taught and ministered. Here he 
wrote his epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. 
Hebrews, Philemon, and the second epistle to Timothy. 
Here were gathered around him Onesiphorus of Ephesus, 
Epaphrasof Colosse, Timothy, Hermas, Aristarehus. Marcus, 
Demas, Luke the physician, and Onesimus, " whom I i 
begotten in my bonds." 

It is said, that in this house St. Luke wrote the Acts of 
the Apostles, and painted the portrait of the Virgin Mary. 

The earliest record of the church above, dates from the 
time of Pope St. Sylvester, 314-35, when it was dedicated 
to St. Cyriacus. It was rebuilt by Sergius III., in 700, and 
by Innocent VIII., in 1485, who at the same time destroyed 
the remains of a triumphal arch which spanned the Via 



104 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Flaniinia at this spot, supposed to have been erected to 
Grordian. The facade was built by Alexander VII.. 1655- 
67, from the designs of Pietro Berrettino do, Cortona, and at 
the same time the interior was modernized, the colu mn s, 
which were of CvpoUino, being removed and replaced by 
others of Sicilian jasper. Over the altar is a miraculous 
portrait of the Virgin, said to. have been painted by St. 
Luke. 

At the end of the right aisle is the monument of Edward 
Dodwell, the distinguished scholar, who died 1832. 

The grand palace, almost regal in its dimensions and 
decoration, which adjoins the Church of Sta. Maria in Via 



Lata, is 



THE DOEIA PALACE. 



It has two facades, that upon the Corso was designed by 
Valvasori, that upon the Piazza of the Coleggio Romano 
is said to be by Borromino. 

The Picture Gallery, in which also are a few pieces of 
sculpture, contains 793 works of art. It is open to the 
public on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 10 to 2. 

First Eoom. 

5. The Deluge : Scarsellino. sand than to understand 

8. The Angel Teaching St. Au- the mystery of the Trinity. 

gustine the lesson that it j Gaspar Poussin. 

would be easier to empty 23. Landscape: Poussin. 

the sea into a hole in the j 

Sculptures, § m c. 



Sarcophagus, with ]SIeleager, 
hunting the Caledonian boar. 
Sarcophagus, with the Story of 

Marsyas. 
Statue of the Indian Bacchus. 
Bust of Innocent X. : Bernini. 



Sarcophagus, with Diana and 

Endymion. 
Ulysses escaping from the Cave 

of Polyphemus by clinging 

below a sheep. 



The J) or ia Palace. 



105 



Second Room. 



4. Roman Charity : Valentin. 
The Madonna of the Swal- 
low : Rondinello. 
15. Temptations of St. Anthony: 

Andrea Mantegna. 
19. St. John the Baptist in the 
Desert : Guercino. 
Marriage of the Virgin : 
Pisanello. 
23. Pope St. Sylvester before 

Maximin II. : PiselUno. 
27. The Virgin (a triptyque) : 
Taddeo de Bartolo da Siena. 



28. The Annunciation: Filippo 
Lippi. 

Birthof the Virgin: Pisanello. 
33. St. Agnes on the Pile : Guer- 
cino. 

37. The Magdalen : A copy from 
Titian. 

The Madonna: Sassoferrato — 

(not numbered). 
Woman with a Book : Murillo. 
— (not numbered). 



Sculpture* Sfc. 

Mithraic Sacrifice. I Three Chandeliers of old Vene- 

Centaur, found at Albano. tian glass. 

Thied Room — Closed. 



Foueth Room. 
5. Erminia and Tancred wounded : Guercino. 



Sculpture, fyc. 

Bust of Innocent X., 16-44-55, in 
porphyry, with bronze head. 

Bronze water vessel of the 4th 
century ,with subjects upon it 
representing the story of 
David and the Shunamite 



The Nile, in basalt. 
Mask of a Faun, in bronze. 
Two glass cases, containing an- 
tique statuettes, strigils, 
mirrors, rings, buckles, fibu- 
las, &c. 
Two tables of verde antique. 

Fifth Room. 



25. 
22. 



13 



St. Joseph : Guercino. 
Holy Family with St. Cathe 

line : Titian (early man 

ner). 

Sixth Room 



In the middle, a group of Jacob 
wrestling with the Angel : 
School of Bernini. 



34. 



Madonna and Child : Carlo 
Haratta. 
30. Portrait of a Boy (unfinished) 
Vandyke ( ? ) 

Cabinet. 

A Stag Hunt : Breughel. j Bust 

Table covered with Fruit and 

Flowers : Breughel. 
The Terrestrial Paradise : Breu- Bust 

ghel. 



Conflagration in the hay- 
lofts near S. Maria in Cos- 
medin : A lex is de Ma rc h is . 



of Donna Olympia Tam- 
phili Maldacchini : Al- 
gardi. 

of Prince Philip Andrew 
Doria Pamphili. 



106 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



Seventh Room. 



1. The Falls of Terni : Orizzonte 
3. Eocks on a Seashore : Salva- 

tor Rosa. 
8. Belisarius in the Desert: Sal- 

vator Rosa, 
19. Massacre of the Innocents : 

Mazzolino. 
25. Ruins of a Temple, with the 

Pyramid of Cains Cestius : 

Viviani. 



29. View of the Campo Vaccino 

(the Forum) in the 18th 
century, looking towards 
the Palatine : Viviani. 

30. View in the 18th Century, 

taken from near the Co- 
losseum : Viviani. 
The Infant Bacchus, statue in 
Rosso antico. 



Eighth Room. 

14. Deposition from the Cross : I 22. St. Sebastian : Ludovico 



Cecchino Salvati, 



Fruit Piece : Zenardi 



Can 

I?inth Room. 

I 11. Fruit, 



Flowers, and Dead 
Game : Spadino. 

Tenth Room 
Contains a number of paintings of fruit and game. 



GALLERY OF THE MIRRORS. 

On the left, is the third Gallery of Pictures (see page 108), 
but it will be found more convenient to continue through 
the Gallery of the Mirrors and directly onwards. 

This Gallery, lighted on both sides, is ornamented with a 
number of mirrors in richly gilt frames, with an antique 
statue between each, but none possessed of any particular 
merit. Over the fireplace, about the middle on the right 
side, is a curious piece of tapestry, representing the Rape 
of the Sabines. 

THE CABINET 



contains a few of the gems of the collection, but they are 
not numbered. Commence to the left : 



Two Heads : Raphael. 
Portrait or Admiral Andrea 

Doria : Sebastiano del Pi- 

ombo. 



The Misers : Quintin Matsys. 
The Deposition : John Mending. 
Portrait of Innocent X. , 1644- 
55 : Velasquez. 



Gallery of the Mirrors. 



107 



The First Gallery. 
In these three galleries, the paintings on the right walls 
have different sets of numbers from those between the 
windows. 

1. Assumption of the Virgin : 
Annibale Caracci. 

5. Mercury stealing the oxen 

of Apollo : Claude Lorrain. 

6. The Flight into Egypt : An- 

nibale Caracci. 

10. Portrait of his wife : Titian. 

11. Portrait of Macchiavelli : 

Bronzino . 

12. The Water Mill: Claude 

Lorrain. 
18. A Pieta : Annibale Caracci. 
23. The Temple of Apollo : Claude 

Lorrain. 



26. Portrait : Mazzolo. 

27. Portrait: Giorgione. 

28. Adoration of the Magi : .4??- 

nibale Caracci. 

29. Portrait of Lucretia Borgia : 

Paolo Veronese. 

33. Diana hunting : Claude Lor- 

rain. 

34. The Entombment: Annibale 

Caracci. 

35. Portrait of Catherine cle la 

Vannozza : Dosso Dossi. 



Behveen the windows. 



5. The Mystic Marriage of Sta. 

Catherine of Alexandria : 

Garofolo. 
8. St. Louis, King of France, 



giving alms : Mantegna. 
11. A Battle: Borgognone. 
17. The Temptations of St. kn- 

thony : Mantegna. 



Second Gallery. 

6. The Virgin and Child, with 
St. Francis of Assisi and 
St. Paul : Francia. 
21. Portrait of a Widow : Van- 
dyke. 

25. "Air," one of .the Four Sea- 

sons (see Nos. 30, 60, 65): 
Breughel. 

26. Abraham's Sacrifice : Titian. 
30. " Earth" : Breughel, 
33. Portrait of a Prince Pamphili: 

Vandyke. 
37. Portrait of his wife : Rubens. 
40. Herodias with the head of 

St. John the Baptist : Por- 

denonc. 

50. The Preacher of the Apostolic 
Chapel : Rubens. 

Behveen the windows 



53. Portrait of Jane II., Queen 
of Naples : Leonardo da 
Vinci, 

56. The Magdalen : Titian, 

60. "Water:" Breughel, 

61. Birth of our Lord, with St. 
John the Baptist, St. Jo- 
seph, St. Francis of Assisi, 
and St. Madelaine : Ben- 
venuti. 

" Fire :" Breughel. 
Glory crowning Valour ; a 
sketch : Corrcggio. 
70. The Garden of Eden: Breu- 
ghel. 

76. A Village Wedding: Teniers. 
80. Portraits of Titian and his 
wife : Titian. 



65. 
69. 



4. Passage of the Bed Sea, 
painted on alabaster by 
Tempesta. 



22. Judith, with the head of 
Holophernes: Giorgio Vasari. 



108 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Third Gallery. 

2. Holy Family, with, (below) I 25. Rest, on the Flight into 

St. Francis of Assisi and J Egypt: Claude Lorrain. 

St. Bernardino of Siena: | 26. The Meeting of Elizabeth 

Garofolo. and Mary: Garofalo. 

3. The Magdalen: Annibale 31. Cnpids Wrestling : Francesco 

Caracci. Gessi. 

9. Holy Family: Sassoferrato. 38. The Aldobrandini Marriage 

14. Portrait of Marco Polo : (copy from the fresco in 

Titian. the 'Vatican) : Nicholas 

15 HolyFamily: Andrea delSarto \ Poussin. 

19. The Three Ages of Man : j 45. The Child Jesus sleeping : 

Titian. Guido Eeni. 

21. Return of the Prodigal Son : i 49. Angel playing on a tam- 

Guercino. bourine : Paolo Veronese. 

Opposite to the Doria Palace is the Palazzo Salviati, 
between numbers 274 and 276, originally built by Binaldi 
for the Duke de Nevers. 

A few steps further brings us to where the end of the 
Corso opens upon The Piazza di Yenezia. (See page 113.J 

Turning to the left, along the Via San Roinualdo, we find, 
immediately opposite, in the Piazza S.S. Apostoli, 

THE COLONXA PALACE, 

standing back, on three sides of a large courtyard, closed on 
the fourth towards the street by a row of two-storied shops, 
with entrance gates, JSTos. 66 and 53, at each end. It was 
commenced by the Colonna Pope, Martin Y., 1417-31, and 
has since been enlarged and embellished, by successive 
members of this ancient and once powerful family. Here 
Julius II., 1503-13, lived. The building possesses no ex- 
ternal features worthy of notice. 

THE PICTURE GALLERY 

is open to the public every day from 11 to 3. In past times 
it was one of the richest and most valuahle collections in 
Rome, containing as many as 1362 pictures, but the chief 



The Colonna Palace. 



109 



of these have been dispersed. There are now only 194 
works, including sculpture. 

Two of the ante-roorns, before entering the gallery, are 
hung with very curious old tapestry. 

First Room. 

The pictures are not numbered, but each bears the name 
of the artist ; and the portraits, the name of the person. 

The principal works, commencing, in each room, to the left, 
are as follows : — 

The Virgin of the Cherries : Lippi 

The Virgin and Child: Botticelli 

Landscape: Albani. 

The Virgin and Child, with St. 
Elizabeth and St. John the 
Baptist : Luini. 

Portrait of a young man : Gio- 
vanni banzio (the father of 
Raphael). 

Landscape with Sheep : Albani. 



Portrait of Pius IX. 



Portrait of Maria Mancini Co- 
lonna : Netscher 
Meeting of Jacob and Esau : Ru- 
bens. 

Holy Family: Parmeggianino. 
Moses with the Tabies of the 

Law : Guercino. 
The Resurrection of Christ and 
of the Dead : Pietro da Cor- 
tona. 

The Throne Room. 

| Two beautiful Venetian lustres. 



Third Room 

The Virgin giving the Scapular 
to St. Simon Stock : iScar- 
sellino. (Over the door.) 

Portrait of Panyinius, the His- 
torian : Titian. 



TI13 Rape of Europa : Francesco 
Albani. 

The Guardian Angel: Guercino. 
St Jerome praying in the Desert : 
Spagna. 

Man Playing on the Clavecin : 

Tintoretto. 
Man Eating Soup : Annibale Ca- 

racci. 



Resurrection of Lazarus : Sal- 
viati. 

Portrait of Lorenzo Colonna : 

Holbein. 
Portrait: Paolo Veronese. 
St. Carlo Borromeo : Daniel 
Crespi. 

Holy Family and St. Jerome : 
Bonifazio da Venezia. 

On the ceiling ; the Apotheosis 
of Martin V. (Colonna), 1417- 
31. 



Fourth Room. 

Vestibule to the grand hall. On the left is a cabinet of the 
seventeenth century, of great beauty, ornamented with 
twelve columns of rock amethyst, and inlaid with precious 
stones and bouquets of flowers in Florentine mosaic, upon a 



110 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



ground of lapis-lazuli. The balustrade is surmounted by 
statuettes of the Muses, with Apollo seated on a laurel. 

On the right, a very handsome ebony cabinet, of the 
seventeenth century, with bas reliefs carved in ivory, repre- 
senting subjects from the Old and New Testaments, and, 
in the centre, the Last Judgment, from Michael Angelo. 
The Grand Hall. 

This magnificent hall measures 70 metres in length by 12 
in width and 10 in height. The vault was painted in fresco 
by John Paul Scor, assisted by Bernascona, and by Giovanni, 
and Francesco da Luca. The five subjects represented are: 
the Doge of Venice sitting in council, on the war against the 
Turks; St. Pius V., 1-566.-72, giving the command of the 
fleet to Marc Antonio Colonna ; the battle of Lepanto ; the 
triumph of the conqueror on his return to Rome; the erec- 
tion of his statue in the Capitol. 

There are a number of antique statues, much restored, in 
this hall, but none worthy of particular notice. 

The mirrors, made of several pieces, are painted with 
cupids and garlands of flowers, by Mario de' Fiore. 



St. Jerome studying the Scrip- 
tures : Spagnoletto. 

A Family Group, portraits : An- 
nibale Caracci. 

Assumption of the Virgin: Ru- 
bens. 

Portrait of Federico Colonna : 

Subtermans. 
St. Jerome in the Desert : Guer- 

cino. 

The Eoman Daughter : Bernardo 
Strozzi. 

Descent of our Saviour into Ha- 
des, and the Last Judgment : 
Allori. 

The Temptation : Salviati. 
" Ecce Homo :" Francisco Albani 
Portrait of Charles Colonna on 
horseback : Vandyke. 



The Colonna Family, 1581, por- 
traits : Scipione Gaetani. 

Our Saviour at supper with Si- 
mon the Pharisee : Bassano. 

St. John the Baptist preaching 
in the Desert : SalvatorRosa 

St. Irene removing the Arrows 
from St. Sebastian : Canta- 
rini. 

Telemachus in the Island of Ca- 
lypso : Nicholas Poussin. 

The Virgin protecting a Child 
agamst the Devil : Niccolo 
Alunno. 

St. Francis of Assisi praying : 

Guido Reni. 
Martyrdom of St. Catherine of 

Alexandria : Salmeggia. 



The Colonna Palace. 



Ill 



On one of the marble steps which give ascent into the 
next room, is a hall, which struck there and fell, during the 
siege of Rome by the French in 1849. 

Sixth Room. 



The vault, painted in fresco about the year 1700, repre- 
sents the Apotheosis of Marc Antonio Colonna, and his 
introduction into Olympus by Hercules. 



Portrait of Marc Antonio Colonna 
Novelli. 

Portrait of Marc Antonio Colonna 
Scipione Gaetani. 

Portrait of Victoria Colonna, the 
Poetess : Muziano. 

Portrait of Cardinal Pompeo Co- 
lonna: Lorenzo Lotti. 

Portrait of Stephen Colonna : 
Cagliari. 

Tobias and the Fish : Tintoretto. 

Portrait of Isabella Colonna : No- 
velli. 

Virgin and Child, with St. Peter 
presenting the Donor : Pal- 
ma Vccchio. 



Portrait of Lucretia Colonna : 

Vandyke. 
Virgin and Child with St. Jerome 

and Sta. Lucia : Titian. 
Temptations of St. Anthony : 

Kranach. 
Venus and Cupid surprised by a 

Satyr : Bronzino. 
Portrait of a Page with a Dog : 

Moretto da Brescia. 
Adoration of the Holy Spirit : 

Tintoretto. 
Portrait of Pope St. Pius V.: 

Scipione Gaetani. 
Portrait of Francesco Colonna : 

O'Hale. 



In the middle of the room is a spiral column of rosso 
antico, with figures sculptured upon it representing the 
grades of the Roman army. 

There are two charming little rooms, which a small addi- 
tional fee will induce the custode* to open. The walls of one, 
are entirely lined with glass, on which are cupids and ara- 
besques, most delicately painted. The walls of the other 
are covered with exceedingly curious embroideries. 

On the same side of the Piazza with the Colonna Palace, 
and to the right as we leave it, is 



* The custode, Cesare Magni, has some very good copies for sale, at reasonable 
prices. 



112 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



THE BASILICA. OF THE SANTI APOSTOLI, 
now under restoration. It takes its name, not from "the 
twelve," bnt from Saints Philip and James, whose relics are 
said to be those recently fonnd under the high altar. A 
grand "confession" is in course of construction, which will 
expose to view the level, and the bases of some of the columns 
of the primitive Basilica, in which St. Gregory I. pronounced 
his 36th Homily. Popularly attributed to Constantine, it 
was founded by Pelagius I., 555-59, and completed by his 
successor, John III. Restored, in the 8th century, by Paul 
I., and Adrian I. ; by Stephen V., in 886 ; by Martin V., 
1471-31 ; and by Sixtus IV., about 1475 ; it was entirely 
rebuilt at the commencement of the last century from the 
design of Francisco Fontana, with the exception of the 
portico, built by Baccio Pintelli, for Sixtus IV. The first 
stone was laid by Clement XI., in 1702, and the new edifice 
was dedicated by Benedict XIII., in 1 724. The f acade above 
the portico was erected in 1827, at the expense of John 
Torlonia Duke of Bracciano. At the end of the portico, 
on the right, is an ancient bas-relief of an eagle holding 
a crown of oak leaves, an ornament, supposed to have 
belonged to the Forum of Trajan ; opposite to it, at the 
end, on the left, is a monument to the engraver, Giovanni 
Volpato, sculptured and dedicated to his memory by 
Canova. 

The nave measures 281 feet by 59 feet. At the end of 
the left aisle is the monument of Clement XIV., 1769-75, 
by Canova, one of his finest works, executed while in his 
26th and 27th years. It is difficult to say which is most 
worthy of admiration, the mourning female extending her- 
arm over the sarcophagus, or the figure of Meekness seated 
on the right. 



The Piazza di Yenezia. 



113 



Opposite, is The Odbscalchi Palace, No. 314. Its 
facade was built in the time of Alexander VII., 1655-87, 
from the design of Bernini. 

At the end of the Piazza, on the right, No. 49, is The 
Palazzo Sayorelli, in which the Old Pretender, commonly 
called in Rome James III., King of England, lived, and 
where he died in 1769. 

At the end of the Piazza, on the left, is the Palazzo 
Valentini. 

•Returning by the Via San Ronmaklo, we come to 

THE PIAZZA DI A'ENEZIA. 

The grand mediaeval building with machiccolated battle- 
ments, which occupies the entire side on the right, is The 
Palazzo Vexezia. It was built with stone taken from the 
Colosseum, for Paul II., 1464-71, by Gniliano da Majano. 
For some time it was used as the Pontifical Palace. The 
Popes, Paul III., 1534-49, Julius III., 1550-55, and Paul 
IV., 1555-59, lived here ; and here Charles VIII. sojourned, 
in 1494, when marching against Naples. Finally, it was 
given by Pius IV. to the Venetian Republic, as the residence 
for its ambassadors to the Holy See. Thus it passed into 
the possession of Austria, and was especially reserved when 
the Venetian territory was ceded to Italy in 1866. It is 
now the residence of the Austrian ambassador. 

Opposite is The Toeloxia Palace, No. 135, originally 
built by Carlo Fontana for the Bolognetti family. 

The Palace, No. 130, which forms the corner of the 

Corso, with the Piazza, is The Buonaparte Palace, built for 

the Aste family, by G-iovan Anton iu de Rossi. It was here 

that Madama Letizia, the mother of Napoleon the First, died. 
I 



114 Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 

Passing into the narrow street at the further end from 
the Corso, called the Ripresa de' Barberi. The Via San 
Marco on the right leads to the Basilica of St. Mark (see 
page 115). The continuation in a straight line from the 
Ripresa de' Barberi leads direct to The Forum, and here, 
a few steps on the left side, is The Tomb of Bibulus. The 
street on the left leads to 

THE FOBUM OF TEAJAN. 

Up to the commencement of the present century this area 
was in great part covered with houses, which were thrown 
down in 1812, and the excavation commenced, which has 
restored to light about 55,000 square feet of the 330,000 oc- 
cupied by Trajan's Forum. The grey granite columns are 
those which supported the roof of its great basilica, The 
Basilica Ulpia, so called from the family name of Trajan. 
The line formed by the nave and aisles can be accurately 
traced ; the ends are still hidden under the modern level. On 
the northern side stands Tbajan's Column, covered with bas- 
reliefs, in spiral series, from base to summit, representing 
the incidents of the Dacian war. The construction of this 
column is in itself a marvel. It is composed of 32 great 
masses of marble, 8 of which form the pedestal, one the 
base, 21 enormous circular blocks, one upon the other, form 
the shaft, one the capital, and one the pedestal which sup- 
ported the statue of Trajan, now replaced by a statue of 
St. Peter. The ascent to the summit is made by 185 steps, 
worked in the solid marble, and lighted by 45 loopholes. 
The bas-reliefs were sculptured after the column was 
erected. It measures 128 feet in height. The inscription 
records that Trajan, in order to obtain a sufficient area for 
his Forum, cut away a neck of land, which united the 



The Basilica of St. Marie. 



115 



Quirinal and Capitoline hills, equal in height to that of the 
column. The statue of St. Paul, which originally was gilt, 
was placed on the summit by order of Sixtus V., in 1589. 
It was modelled by Leonardo Sorman, assisted by Tommaso 
delta Porta* 

At the end of the Piazza are two churches. That with the 
highest dome is St. Bernardo alia Colonna Trajano, 
built in the time of Clement XII., 1730-40. The other, 
nearer to the Corso, is Santa Maria di Loreto, built by 
Antonio di San Gallo, in 1507. It contains a beautiful 
statue of St. Susanna, by Fiammingo. 

Recrossing the end of the Via della Ripresa de' Barberi, 
by the Via del Foro Trajano, and passing along the Via 
San Marco, we enter a small piazza with a garden in the 
centre, at the right hand side of which is 

THE BASILICA OF ST. MAEK, 

originally built by Pope St. Mark I., 336-37. It was re- 
stored by Adrian I., 772-95; and rebuilt by Gregory IV., 
828-44, who ornamented the apse with the mosaic still 
existing. It was again rebuilt by Paul II., in 1468 (from 
the tribune, which he left intact outwards), at the same time, 
when he built the adjoining Palazzo di Venezia ; and 
finally, in 1744, Cardinal Quirino placed the columns of 
Sicilian jasper in front of the pilasters which divide the 
aisles from the nave, and within which the original columns 
are probably hidden. 

Over the first altar on the right, is The Resurrection, by 
Valma Giovane. 

* On this work Sixtus spent 2837 scudi, in addition to 10,000 scudi — 1000 of which 
■was paid by himself and 6000 by the Roman people — for the purchase and demolition 
of a number of houses to form a space round the column. The amount of metal em- 
ployed in casting the statue was 13,5o0 lbs., valued at 1691 scudi. 



116 Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 

Over the third, The Adoration of the Magi, by Carlo 
Maratta. 

In the fourth chapel, a Pieta, by Gugliardi. 
In the Chapel of the Sacrament, Pope St. Mark, by 
Carlo Crivelli. 

On each side of the Tribune are two columns of porphyry. 

The Ciborium, in the Sacristy, is a very fine example of 
fifteenth century sculpture. It was made for Cardinal 
Barbo, afterwards Paul II., 1458-64, for the reception of the 
holy oils. 

Beneath the high altar repose, together, it is said, with 
relics of St. Mark the Evangelist, the remains of Pope 
St. Mark, to whom also the Basilica is dedicated ; and of the 
Persian martyrs Abdon and Sennen. These martyrs were 
condemned to fight with wild beasts in the amphitheatre, 
but the animals refusing to touch them, they were dis- 
patched by the gladiators. It was Pope St. Mark who 
introduced the Mcene Creed into the canon of the Mass. 

The doorway is a good example of 15th century work; 
above it is a bas-relief of the 14th century, representing 
Pope St. Mark. 

To the left of the door of the church stand the mutilated 
remains of a colossal statue of Isxs. This fragment is 
called by the people, Madame Lucrezia, and is one of the 
interlocutors with Pasquin in his satires. 

Continuing along the street from the further corner (No. 
23) of the Piazza, the second turning on the left leads 
direct to 

THE CAPITOL, 

at the base of which are three ascents. The winding road 
on the right, and the incline in the middle, lead to the 



Capitoline Museum. 



117 



Piazza of the Capitol. The lofty flight of 125 steps on the 
left leads up to The Church of the Aba Cceli, but we 
shall find it more convenient to enter it by the lateral door 
from the Piazza of the Capitol. 

Proceeding, then, np the central incline. At the corners of 
the summit are the semi-colossal statues of Castor and 
Pollux, with their horses, found in the Ghetto, in the time 
of Paul IV., 1555-59. On the balustrade are statues of the 
sons of Constantine, and on that to the right is the first 
milestone of the Appian Way, found outside the Porta San 
Sebastian o. 

The buildings, which form three sides of the Piazza of 
the Capitol, were designed and commenced by Michael 
Angelo, for the use of the Roman Municipality. The 
edifice in the centre is called the Palazzo dei Senatori; 
that on the right the Palazzo dei Conservatori ; that on the 
left is the Capitoline Museum of Sculpture. 

In the middle of the piazza stands the magnificent gilt 
bronze Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius. Originally 
placed before the arch of Septimius Severus, on the Forum, 
it was removed by Clement III., about the year 1187, to the 
front of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, from whence it was 
again removed to its present position by Michael Angelo. 

THE CAPITOLINE MUSEUM OF SCULPTURE* 
In the courtyard, and in the corridors leading from it to 
the right and left, are a number of works, but none of any 
special interest except the colossal recumbent statue of 
Oceanus — the Marforio of the Roman Pasquinades — over 
the fountain ; and the semi-colossal statue of The Cyprian 

* For detailed information regarding the contents of this museum, see The 
Capitoline Museum of Sculpture, by Mr. Shakspere Wood. It must be obtained, 
at any library, before visiting the Museum, as no catalogues in any language are 
allowed to be sold there. 



118 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Maes, No. 31, at the foot of the staircase. On the walls of 
the staircase are a number of panels containing the frag- 
ments of the celebrated Pianta Capitolina — an ancient plan 
of the city of Rome, made, it is believed, in the time of 
Septimms Severns — fonnd in the 16th century behind the 
Church of SS. Cosma and Damiano. 

After ascending the staircase we cross the long gallery, 
which extends to the right, and enter 

THE HALL OF THE GLADIATOR, 



1 The Dyin<> Gladiator (in 
the middle of the room). 
Although it has been 
clearly proved that it is 
an error to suppose this to 
be a statue of a gladiator, 
it is unlikely that it will 
ever be known by any 
other name, than that it 
has borne so long. Gladi- 
ator, or vanquished Gaul, 
it is equally a representa- 
tion of a wounded man, 
heaving his last breath, so 
marvellously true to nature 
that we might expect to 
see him fall back dead 
before us. Gaul, or Gladi- 
ator, Byron's magnificent 
lines in Childe Harold are 
equally applicable to it. 
It was found in the vicin- 
ity of the Villa Ludovisi, 
together with the group 
in the Ludovisi collection, 
of a Gaul supporting a 
dying woman on one hand, 
and stabbing himself with 
the other. There can be 
no doubt that this group, 
and the Dying Gladiator, 
formed parts of a grand 
composition of many 
figures, illustrating some 
event glorious to the Ro- 
man arms. 



2. Lycian Apollo, found near 
the sulphur stream on the 
road to Tivoli. 

4. Ariadne ; a bust of great 

beauty. 

5. Amazon ; antique copy from 

one of the fifty statues of 
Amazons which adorned 
the Temple of Diana at 
Ephesus. The same from 
which No. 265 in the "Gal- 
lery" at the Vatican was 
copied. (Vide page 80.) 

6. Atys, the Sun God ; bust : 

popularly called Alexander 
the Great. 

7. Juno. 

9. Bust of Brutus, who slew 
Cassar. 

10. Isis. 

11. Flora (?) ; portrait statue of 

a Roman lady, found in 
1744, at Hadrian's Villa. 
13. Antinous ; found at Ha- 
drian's Villa in the time 
of Clement XII., 1730-40. 

15. Faun ;* an ancient copy from 

the celebrated statue by 
Praxiteles. (Vide pages 
81 and 86 for other copies 
in the Vatican.) 

16. Girl Protecting a Dove ; por- 

trait statue. 
Zeno, the Founder of the Stoic 
School of Philosophy. 



* This statue is the hero of Hawthorn's novel of " The Marble Faun, or Trans- 
formation." 



Hall of the Cent i l an 



119 



THE HALL OF THE FAUN. 



1. Faun of Pvosso Antico, in 
the middle of the room ; 
found at Hadrian's Villa 
in 1736. 

11. Sarcophagus, with the story 

of Endymion. 
13. Boy with a Scenic Mask. 
21. Boy Playingwith a Goose. 
23. Bacchante ; head. 



25. Ariadne ; head. 

26. Sarcophagus ; "with the 

battle between the Ama- 
zons and the Athenians, 
led by Theseus. Found in 
1744 on the Campagna, 
near the source of the 
Aqua Virgine. 



THE HALL OF 1 

Boy extracting a Thorn 
from his Foot ;* bronze 
statue of great beauty; 
recently brought here from 
the Hall of the Conserva- [ 
tori opposite. 

1. Jupiter, in black marble. 

2. Young Centaur; found in j 

1736, together with the 
companion statue, No. 5, 
among the ruins of Ha- 
drian's Villa. 

3. Colossal Infant Hercules, 

sculptured in a rare and 
valuable variety of green 
basalt, which has the qual- 
ities of touchstone ; found 
in the 15th century on the 
Aventine. 

4. Aged Centaur (Vide No. 2) 

5. iEsculapius,in black marble. 
The Bronze Wolf,* believed 

to be the wolf mentioned | 
by Cicero as having been ' 
struck by lightning. The 
twins are a restoration, 
made in the 15th century. | 
10. Wounded Amazon ; ancient i 
copy from one of the fifty 
Amazons of the Temple of 
Diana at Ephesus. 



HE CENTAUKS. 

11. Venus and Mars ; portrait 
group in the semblance of 
these deities, 

14. Faun. 

15. Pythian Apollo. 

17. Trajan; colossal bust. 
19. Ceres. 
21. Hadrian. 

24 Hercules, of bronze gilt ; 
found in the time of Six- 
tus V., 1585-90, near the 
Church of Sta. Maria in 
Cosmedin. 

25. Wounded Amazon ; ancient 
copy from the sam t statue 
as No. 10. The head, 
evidently a portrait, did 
not originally belong to 
the statue. 

27. Pancratiast, found at Ha- 

drian's Villa in 1742. 

28. Prerica ; a hired mourner at 

funerals. 
31. Antoninus Pius ; colossal 
bust. 

33. A Hunter ; monumental 

portrait statue, found in 
1747, among the remains 
of a tomb ontheLalinWay. 

34. Harpocrates : found ;it Ha- 

drian's Villa in 1744. 



* Tlie Bronze Wolf, and The Boy extracting a Thorn from his Foot, are placed tem- 
porarily in this Hall, during the preparation of a room especially destined for in ( • - 
pitoline bronzes, in the Palazzo dei Conservatori opposite. The reader will rind them 
there if they have been removed from this Hall. 



120 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



THE HALL OP THE PHILOSOPHEES. 

Marcus Marcellus, seated statue in the middle of the 
room, believed to be a portrait of Marcus Claudius Mar- 
cellus, the conqueror of Syracuse. 

On the shelves around the room is a series of portrait 
busts — more or less verified — of celebrated philosophers, 
poets, historians, and other illustrious men. 



1. VirgiH?). 

4, 5, 6. Socrates, 

9. Aristides (?). 

16. Marcus Agrippa. 

19. Theophrastus (?). 

20. Marcus Aurelius. 

21. Diogenes the Cynic (?). 
23. Thales. 

25. Theon of Smyrna. 

26. Apuleius (?). 

27. Pythagoras (?). 

30. Aristophanes. 

31. 32. Demosthenes. 
33. 34. Sophocles. 

35 Aulus Persius Flaccus. 

36. Anacreon (?). 



37. Hippocrates (?). 

41, 42, 43. Euripides. 

44, 45, 46. Homer. 

49. P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus 

51. Pompey the Great. 

52. Cato of Utica. 

53. Aristotle. 

60. Thucydides. 

61. iEschines. 

63. Epicurus and Metrodorus ; a 

double Hermes. 

70. Antisthenes. 

72. Julian the Apostate. 

75. Cicero (?). 

76. Terence. 
82. ^schylus. 



THE HALL OP THE EMPEEOES. 

On the shelves are a number of busts of the Koman 
emperors, empresses, and other imperial personages, ar- 
ranged in chronological order. 

Agrippina (seated statue in the middle of the room), wife 
of Germanicus, daughter of Agrippa, granddaughter of 
Augustus, mother of Caligula, and grandmother of ISTero. 



1. Julius Ceesar. 

2. Augustus. 

3. Marcellus. 

4. 5. Tiberius. 
9. Germanicus. 

11. Caligula. 

12. Claudius. 

13. Messalina. 



15. 16. Nero. 

17. Poppea Sabina. 

18. Galba. 

19. Otho. 

20. Vitellius. 

21. Vespasian. 

22. Titus. 

23. Julia, daughter of Titus. 



Hall of the Doves. 



121 



24. Donritian. 

26. Nerva (modern). 

27. Trajan. 

31, 32. Hadrian. 
35. Antoninus Pius. 
37. Marcus Aurelius 
41. Lucius Verus. 
43. Commodus. 
45. Pertinax. 



50, 51. Septimius Severus. 

53. Caracalla. 

57. Heliogabalus. 

60. Alexander Severus. 

62. Maxirninus. 

64. G-ordian I. 

65. Gordian II. 
80. Diocletian. 

82. Julian the Apostate. 



Turning into the Gallery from the Hall of the Emperors, 
the door of the small cabinet, containing the celebrated 
Venus of the Capiiol, will be found on the left, between 
Nos. 55 and 58. This beautiful statue was found walled up 
in a niche of an ancient house, discovered about the middle 
of the last century. As an embodiment of the goddess, this 
Venus ranks third after the Venus of Milo at Paris, and 
second after the Venus de Medicis at Florence. As a work 
of art it is superior to the Venus de Medicis ; and looking 
upon it simply as a statue of an exceedingly beautiful 
woman, it would be difficult to overstate its merits. 

THE GALLERY. 



1. Marcus Aurelius. 

2. Faustina, wife of Antoninus 

Pius. 

3. Septimius Severus. 
5. Silenus. 

13. Cupid ; antique copy from 

that by Lysippus. 
20. Drunken old Bacchante. 
36. Gladiator. The torso only 



is antique, and was part of 
an ancient copy of the 
Discobolus by Myron. 
53. Psyche. 

70. Mare as Aurelius. 

71. Minerva. 

76. Large vase, found in 1680, 
near the tomb of Cecilia 
Metella. 



HALL OF THE DOVES.* 

So called from the celebrated mosaic representing three 
doves on the edge of a vase, No. 89, on the wall to the left. 
It was found in the middle of an ancient pavement at 



* The door of the Hall of the Doves -will be found between Nos. 14 und 17 in 
Gallery. 



122 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Hadrian's Villa, in 1739. and was supposed at the time to be 
that described by Pliny in bis Natural History (Lib. 36. c. 
60). Pliny's <; Doves" formed the centre of tbe pavement 
of a temple at Pergamos, from which, the probability is, this 
was copied for Hadrian. 

On the shelves are a number of unrecognised busts. 



25. The Iliac Table. 
36. Diana of Ephesus. 
58. Mosaic ; the central orna- 
ment of a pavement, re- 
presenting two scenic 
masks, found in the Aven- 
tiue about the time of Leo 
XII , 1823-28. 
Sarcophagus of a young girl, 
named Gerontia, oma- 



60 



mented with the story of 
Enclymion. 

88. Sarcophagus. . ornamented 

■with a number of figures 
in alto relief, crowded to- 
gether, representing the 
incidents of the story of 
Prometheus. 

89. Mosaic. Pliny's Doves [see 

above ). 



On Pedestals at the end of the Room. 



Cupid Disguised in the attri- 
butes of Hercules ; found 
in 1872, in enlarging the 
Cemetery at St. Lorenzo, 
outside the wails. 

Foot (fragment) of a colossal 



statue of Tenus. found in 
1872, opposite the Church 
of St. Cesario on the Ap- 
pian Way. 
ITithkaic Sacrifice, found in 
1870. 



Descending the staircase, we turn to the left into three 
small rooms, called The Halls of lhe Inscriptions. They 
contain a few busts and sculptures, interesting chiefly from 
an archaeological point of view, the most noticeable being the 
Sarcophagus, No. I. in the second room, found in the Yigna 
Amendola. on the Via Appia, in 1829 ; and the Large Sar- 
cophagus, with, two recumbent .figures on the cover, No. 1, 
in the third room, found outside the Porta San Giovanni, 
in 1594 

At the opposite end of the corridor, passing the entrance, 
are three other rooms, called The Halts of the Bronzes. 
In the first, Xo. 1. a mutilated bronze horse (the remains of 
an equestrian statue). Xo. 2. foot, supposed to have belonged 



Halls of the Inseriptions. 



123 



to the rider ; and No. 16, the remains of bronze hull: were 
found in 1849, in the same excavation with the Athlete, 
No. 67, in the Nuovo Braccio of the Vatican. 

6. Sacrificial tripod. j 15. A Camillus ; an assistant 

8. A surveyor's measure. at the sacrifices. 

9. Two wine or oil measures. j 17. Colossal hand. 

10. Colossal foot. 19. Globe of Sovereignty, held 

13. Diana Triforme. in the hand of the bronze 

14. Large fluted Vase, found statue of Trajan, which 

at the beginning of last originally stood on his 

century, at the bottom of column, 
the harbour of Porto d' 
Anzio, the ancient Antium. 

The only objects of general interest in the second and 
third rooms are, a Large Sarcophagus, opposite to the win- 
dow in the second room ; and in the third, also opposite to 
the window, a Monumental Cippus, erected to the memory 
of a boy poet of the name of Qnintus Sulpicius Maximus. 

Crossing to the wing, called The Palazzo dei Conserva- 
tor^ on the opposite side of the Piazza, in the courtyard 
there are a number of Fragments op Colossal Statues of 
extraordinary size. 

On the walls of the first landing of the staircase, as we 
ascend to the Picture Gallery, there are four yert fine 
alto reliefs. Of these, No. 41 belonged to the Arch of 
Claudius on the Via Flaminia (vide page 101), and Nos. 42, 
43, 44, to a triumphal arch erected to Marcus Aurelius, the 
site of which is not known. 

On the second landing we shall find the entrance to the 
Picture Gallery on the left; and a little further on, a corridor, 
containing a small collection of Etruscan Antiquities ; 
beyond which again is a small room, the eighth room of the 
Halls of the Conservator! (vide page 125) ; the only one now 
generally accessible to the public. It was originally the 



124 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



chapel, and has, on the wall facing the window, a fine fresco 
by Pinturlcchio, of the Virgin with the Infant Jesus adored 
by Angels. 

THE PBOTOMOTHECA* AND THE PICTUKE GALLEBY. 



On each side of the long gallery are a number of busts of 
illustrious Italians, including a few foreigners, who attained 
eminence either in Rome or through studies made here, viz., 
Angelica Kauffmann, Nicholas Poussin, Winckelmann, and 
others. The busts have been recently placed here, without 
any attempt at chronological arrangement. They are not 
numbered, but the names will be found on the bases of most 
of them. 

A staircase on the left leads up to the two rooms (the first, 
in front of the stairs, the second, to the left), which contain 
the Capitoline Collection of Paintings. 

First Room. 



2. L'Anima Beata : Guido. 
4. Joseph Sold into Egypt : 
Pietro Testa. 

6. St. Cecilia : Romanelli. 

7. Triumph of Bacchus : Pietro 

da Gortona. 
9. Magdalen: Albani. 
11. The Meeting of Jacob and 
Esau ; Raffaellino del 
Garbo. 

13. St. John the Baptist : Guer- 

cino. 

14. The Triumph of Flora : Ni- 

cholas Poussin. 
16. The Magdalen : Guido. 

20. The Cumasan Sibyl: Do- 

menichino. 

21. David with the Head of Go- 

liath : Romanelli. 



28. The Magdalen ; Tintoretto. 
27. The Presentation in the 

Temple : FraBartolommeo 

di San Marco. 
30. The Holy Family : Garofalo. 

34. The Persic Sibyl ; Guercino, 

35. Judith with the Head of 

Holophernes: copy by Carlo 
Maratta from Guido. 

36. The Expulsion of Hagar : 

Francesco Mola. 
38. The Holy Family: Schiavone. 
47. Bape of the Sabines : Pietro 

da Cortona. 
52. Madonna and Child, with St. 

Nicholas and St. Martin : 

Sandro Botticelli. 
58. The Sacrifice of Iphigenia : 

Pietro da Cortona. 



* This Gallery has heen recently arranged to serve as entrance to some large halls 
now in course of preparation, in which the bronzes and a collection of terra cottas and 
other antiquities are to be placed. It is in one of these halls that the bronze Wolf will 
be found, if it has been removed from the Sculpture Gallery. 



Halls of the Conservatori. 



125 



63. The Adoration of the Magi : 
Scarsellino. 

70. Madonna and Child, with St. 
Francis of Assisi, St. Jo- 
seph, St. Jerome," and St. 
Catherine of Alexandria : 
copy from Paul Veronese. 

78. The Virgin Enthroned be- 
tween St. Peter, St. Paul, 
St. John the Baptist, St. 



Andrew, and St. John the 
Evangelist : Francia. 
79. St. Sebastian : Giovan Bel- 
lini. 

81. Circe and Ulysses : Elizabetta 
Sirani. 

87. St. Nicholas (Bishop) : Gio- 
van Bellini. 
89. Komulus & Remus : Rubens. 



Second Room. 



100. Portraits : Vandyke. 
106. Portraits : Vandyke. 
108. Baptism of Our Lord : Tin- 
toretto. 

117. Cleopatra in the Presence of 
Augustus: Guercino. 

119. St. Sebastian: L. Caracci. 

128. The Fortune Teller : M. A. 
da Caravaggio. 

130. A Witch : Salvator Bosa. 

131. The Infant Jesus and St. 

John the Baptist (sketch): 
Guido. 

132. Portrait of himself ; Giovan 
■ Bellini. 

134. Portrait of himself : Michael 
Angelo. 

142. Birth of the Virgin : Albano. 

143. Santa Petronilla : Guer- 

cino. 

145. The Holy Family: Guercino. 

146. A Fair : Breughel. 

160. St John the Baptist : Par- 

migiano. 

161. The Annunciation : Garo- 

falo. 

164. The Madonna in Glory ; 
and, below, hi a very 



beautiful landscape, St. 
Francis of Assisi, and St. 
Anthony of Padua : Garo- 
falo. 

190. Defeat of Darius : Pietro da 

Cortona. 
196. The Assumption : Cola delta 

Matrice. 

199. Death of the Virgin, sur- 
rounded by the Apostles, 
St. Thomas Aquinas, St. 
Catherine of Siena, and 
St. Dominic : ■ Cola della 
Matrice . 

201. The Virgin, surrounded by 

the attributes of the four 
Doctors of the Latin 
Church : Garofalo. 

202. The Rich Man Feasting 

Sumptuously : Cario. 
207. Portrait of Petrarch's Laura. 

Giovan Bellini. 
217. The Temple of Vesta: Van- 

vitelli. 

223. Madonna : Paul Veronese. 

224. The Rape of Eukopa : 

Paul Veronese. 



Returning to the head of the staircase we shall find, 
opposite to it, the door of The Halls of the Conservator!", 
not now always open to the public without an order. 

First Room. — The walls are decorated with paintings in fresco, by 
Cav. d'Arpino, illustrating the Repal period of Roman History ; The 
finding of Romulus and Remus ; The Foundation of Lome ; The Rape 
of the Sabines ; Numa with the Vestals performing Sacrifice ; The 



126 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



Battle of the Horatii and Curiatii; around the room are statues in 
marble of Leo X., 1513-22; and of Urban VIII., 1623-44, Bernini; 
and a bronze statue of Innocent X., 1644-55, Algardi. 

Second Boom. — Decorated with subjects painted by Lanreti, illus- 
trating the Bepublican Period of Boman history ; Mutius Scaevola 
putting his hand in the fire ; Brutus pronouncing sentence of death 
on his two sons ; Horatius Codes defending the Bridge ; and The 
Battle of Lake Begillus. Around the room are statues of celebrated 
military leaders of the 16th and 17th centuries. 

Thied Boom. * — The frescoes on the walls were painted by Daniele 
da Volterra, in illustration of the wars with the Cimbri. 

Fourth Boom.— Contains the Fasti Consulares of ancient Borne. 

Fifth Boom. — Audience Chamber. 

Sixth Boom. — The Frieze, representing the triumphs of Scipio 
Africanus, was painted by Annibale Caracci. 

Seventh Boom — Decorated with subjects, painted in fresco, by 
Daniele da Volterra, taken from the history of the Punic Wars. 

Eighth Boom. — The Chapel. (See page 123.) 

Recrossing the Piazza. The incline on the right of the 
Sculpture Gallery leads up to the side door of 



THE CHUBCH OF THE ABA CCELI, 

built, it is believed, on the site of the famous Temple of 
Jupiter Capitolinus. The interior is the most picturesque 
in effect of all the churches in Rome. Built somewhere 
about the 10th century ; altered, and in part rebuilt, in 
the 13th and 15th; altered again in the 16th; and re- 
covered with a magnificent ceiling in 1571, to commemo- 
rate the victory of Lepanto; it bears visible evidence of 
every period, and seems imbued with the atmosphere of each 
blended with the others. The pavement inclines gradually 
upward from the great door, and is formed of most varied 
materials. Sepulchral slabs with half obliterated inscrip- 

* As changes are now being made in the arrangement of the moveable works of art, 
-which have been preserved for a long period of time in this and the following rooms, it 
becomes impracticable to mention what may have been removed elsewhere while these 
pages are at press. 



Church of the Ara Coeli. 



127 



tions, and monumental effigies in relief worn almost smooth, 
break np the design of the original Opus Alexandrinum, 
which, has been rudely repaired from time to time, and 
patched with slabs, richly inlaid with Cosmati mosaic ; re- 
mains of the marble choir, long since removed. The aisles 
are divided from the nave by 22 columns, varying in size and 
material, taken from ancient edifices. The third to the right 
bears the inscription, A.CVBICVLO AGVSTORVM. 
At the corners, where the nave joins the transepts, are the 
pulpits, richly ornamented with. Cosmati mosaic, which, be- 
longed to the ancient choir, removed from the nave by 
Pius TV., 1559-66, and of which we have seen the fragments 
in the pavement. 

The walls of the first chapel on the right, dedicated to St. 
Bernardino of Siena, are covered with frescoes by Pintu- 
ricchio, illusirating the life of the saint.* The vault was 
painted by his scholars, Francesco cli Castello, and Luca 
Signorelli. In the chapel of the Savelli family, n t the end 
of the right transept, are some very fine thirteenth century 
monuments, richly ornamented with Cosmati mosaic. That 
on the left was erected to Luca Savelli (died 1266), father 
of Pope Honorius IV., 1285-87, with, opposite, that of his 
wife, Vana Aldobrandesca, over which the recumbent figure 
of the Pope, her son, originally in old St. Peter's, was placed 
by Paul III., 153-1-50. 

Opposite, at the end of the left transept, is another fine 
monument of the same period, but much damaged, and with 
most of the mosaic removed, erected in 1302, to Cardinal 
Matteo d'Aquasparta, who is mentioned by Dante in the 
Paradiso; and at the bottom of the wall, to the left, facincr 

* To see these frescoes, properly, the Visitor must get one of the monks to draw the 
curtain from the windows. 



128 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



this, is the monumental inscription to the memory of Felix 
de Freddis (died 1529), who discovered the celebrated group 
of the Laocoon, as recorded on the slab. 

In the middle of this transept there is the celebrated 
chapel in the form of an altar, covered with a ciborium, 
called The Holt Chapel. According to the early legends 
of the chnrch, it marks the spot where Augustus is said to 
have erected, in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, an altar 
to the Firstborn of God, At a primogeniti Dei, and from 
which the church takes its name of Ara Cceli — the Altar of 
Heaven. All that is positively known upon the subject is, 
that it is one of the earliest altars in the church — probably 
erected anterior to the 12th century. At the commence- 
ment of the 17th century, a magnificent ciborium was 
erected over it, which was destroyed during the disturbances 
in 1798, and replaced at the beginning of this century by 
that now above it. 

The pavement of the left aisle, down which we now turn, 
is almost entirely formed by curious sepulchral slabs, with 
quaint figures in bas relief, of the persons whose graves 
they cover, or whose death they record. The chapels along 
this aisle were once decorated with frescoes, by Benozzo 
Gozzoli, Filippo Evangelisii, and Niccolb da Pesaro, but all 
have disappeared except some by the latter, now in a very 
damaged condition. 

Fourth Chapel, dedicated to the Ascension. Frescoes on 
the vault, by Niccolb da Pesaro, much injured. The ara- 
besques on the pilasters are very beautiful. 

Fifth Chapel, dedicated to St. Paul. On the left side, the 
monument of Philippo de Valle is a very fine example of 
fifteenth century work. 

Seventh Chapel, dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. The 



Church of the Ara Coeli. 



129 



frescoes on the vault are by Niccolb da Pesaro. St. Anthony 
is the saint whose aid is invoked in moments of peril through 
■wayside and other accidents, and the front of the chapel is 
covered with a complete picture gallery of ex-votos, repre- 
senting dangers, from the fatal consequences of which the 
Saint has preserved the donors. The subjects are worthy of 
a chamber of horrors, and the fearful nature of the events 
depicted would be enough to make one's blood creep, were 
they treated in a manner less calculated to provoke laughter. 
There are masons precipitated from scaffoldings; persons 
thrown out of carriages ; others being run over ; a man and 
a horse gored by a bull ; a child falling headlong from a 
window into a well beneath ; a nun dropping through a hole 
in a floor; a lady with a fashionable bonnet and parasol, 
going headfirst down a flight of steps, &c. But, hung up 
in the chapel, are things of a more distinctly suggestive cha- 
racter. Crutches, needed no longer ; firearms ; and knives 
and daggers, encrusted with very suspicious-looking rust. 

Eighth Chapel is that of the JPrcesepio, and is closed, 
except at Christmas, when the Nativity is represented by 
groups of life-sized figures, of wood, draped ; with smaller 
groups of the other events of the birth of our Lord, repre- 
sented among the scenery behind. The celebrated Bambino, 
richly bedizened with jewels, then forms part of the exhibi- 
tion. This is a quaint figure of the infant Jesus — said to 
have been carved out of olive wood by a pilgrim, and painted 
by St. Luke — to which miraculous powers of healing the 
sick, when past all other aid, are attributed. To see it, appli- 
cation must be made in the Sacristy. 

Gibbon tells us, that it was while sitting meditating in 
this church, that he conceived the idea of writing " The 
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." 

K 



130 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Leaving the church by the door we entered, and descend- 
ing to the Piazza, Ave shall see, on the opposite side, another 
flight of steps, leading up to that part of the Capitol now 
called Monte Caprino. Passing through the archway on 
the summit, and continuing onwards to a row of modern 
buildings on the left, enquiry at the first door, ISTo. 130, will 
produce the custode of The Tarpeian Rock. There is but 
little now recognisable of this celebrated spot, covered as 
the cliff is by houses built on and against it. . The height 
also looks insignificant, but it must be borne in mind that 
the modern level is some thirty feet above that of ancient 
Home. 

FROM THE CAPITOL TO THE PALACE OF 
THE C^SARS. 

Descending from the Piazza of the Campidoglio, by the 
road which leads from the foot of the steps of Monte 
Caprino, we see, spread out before us, all that remains of 

THE FOEUM BOMANUir,* 

and the magnificent edifices which surrounded it, hemmed 
in by the meaner buildings of modern Rome. 

As we descend, we look down to the left, upon the remains 
of three temples, a small portico, and the grand triumphal 
arch of Septimius Severus (see page 133) ; passing which, 

* The object this hook has to serve, being merely that of "a Guide," to enable the 
stranger, and particularly one pressed for time, to find, and to visit, the many places 
of interest, of both ancient and modem Rome, "with the least possible difficulty, aiid in 
the order in which they come, it would be outside its purpose, and interfere with its 
object, if the Author were to depart from the plan laid down, and enter into archaeo- 
logical dissertations. The existing remains of the Roman Roruni will be separately 
noticed, in the order in which they will be found, but no attempt will be made to re- 
construct the Forum, or to indicate the sites of edifices and places that have disap- 
peared, or the situation of which are subject of conjecture and controversy. These 
remarks will apply also to the Palatine, and some other portions of the ancient city. 



The Mamertine Prison. 



131 



and turning directly to the left, we come to a little church, 
with a small bas relief on the front, representing St. Peter 
and St. Paul in prison. It is The Church of S. Giuseppe 
de' Falegnami, St. Joseph of the Carpenters, built, in 1639, 
over 

THE MAMEKTINE PBISON. 

This is the most ancient, and, at the same time, the best 
verified edifice belonging to ancient Rome. It is the old 
prison at the corner of the Forum, minutely described by 
Sallust. It consists of two chambers, one beneath the 
other, the lower being in the form of a truncated cone, 
with an almost flat roof of peculiar construction, held 
together without any keystone. In it there is a circular 
opening, through which the condemned were precipi- 
tated to die of cold and hunger. Among those who suf- 
fered death here were, Jugurtha ; CethaBgus and Len- 
tulus, the accomplices of Catiline ; Vercingetorix ; Se- 
janus ; and Simon Bar Gionas, the defender of Jerusalem. 
Tradition relates that St. Peter and St. Paul were confined 
in the lower chamber, being bound to the column enclosed 
jn an iron grating, and that here they baptised the jailers, 
Processus and Martinianus, with forty-seven others, to the 
faith of Christ, miraculously creating for the purpose the 
well in the middle of the floor. Above the modern stair- 
case, also, which leads down into the chamber, a depression, 
protected by iron bars, resembling the mould of a human 
profile, is said to be the impress made by St. Peter's head, 
when the jailer struck it against the wall. There is nothing 
improbable in the apostles having been confined here ; but 
doubts arise through the columm which is a mediaeval 
addition ; the impress on the wall, where no man's head 



132 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



(granting the possibility) could have touched it in that 
position ; and the miraculous origin ascribed to the well, of 
the existence of which there is historical evidence anterior 
to the time of St. Peter. In the lower chamber is a bas 
relief, representing St. Peter and St. Paul baptising the 
jailers, and opposite to it an iron door closing the mouth of 
a branch drain leading to the Cloaca Maxima. The upper 
chamber has been so much changed by the introduction of 
altars, the catting of the stairs leading down into it, and 
from it into the chamber below, and the wide modern 
opening from the church, that it is difficult for the stranger 
to form a just estimate of its original appearance. The 
communication into it was originally through the opening 
above. It is said that the upper prison was built by Ancus 
Martius, and the lower afterwards added by Servius 
Tullius, and from him called The Tullianum ; but there is 
evidently some mistake in the records, for the construction 
of the lower chamber indicates a much earlier period. 

Immediately to the left, on leaving the Prison, is The 
Church of Sta. Martina and St. Luke, of considerable 
antiquity, the earliest record being its restoration in the 8th 
century, by Adrian I. In 1588 it was given by Sixtus V. 
to the artists, painters, sculptors, and architects, who added 
the name of their patron, St. Luke, to the dedication. It 
was rebuilt from the foundations in its present form by 
Pietro da Gortona, in the time of Urban VIII., 1623-44. It 
contains the original model of Thorwaldsen's statue of our 
Saviour. The crypt is exceedingly beautiful, and well 
worth visiting. 

A few steps further, on the left, is The Church of St. 
Adriano, with the perfectly unadorned front. It was built 
"by Adrian I., about the year 630, and has been restored at 



The Arch of Septimius Severus. 



133 



several periods subsequently, but contains nothing of 
general interest. The great bronze doors of St. John 
Lateran originally belonged to this church ; they were taken 
away by Alexander VII., 1655-67. 
In front of these churches stands 

THE AECH OF SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS, 

built in the year 204. It has three openings, those on 
the sides being smaller in size, and having internal com- 
munications with the central arch. It is ornamented on 
each face with four columns of the composite order, and a 
series of bas reliefs, illustrating the Parthian, Arabian, and 
Adiabenian victories, in honour of which it was erected. 
The inscription is repeated on each side of the attic, and 
contains interesting evidence of the truth of the record that 
the remorse felt by Caracalla, after having murdered his 
brother, a.d. 212, was such as compelled him to obliterate 
the name of Greta from every public monument. The 
fourth line, which originally contained the words, ET 

P . SEPTIMIO ■ L FIL • GETAE . NOBILISS . 
CAESAR I, has been erased, and the words P . P . OP- 
TIMISQVE. FORTISSIMISQVE. PRINCIPIBVS 

inserted. 

The mass of shapeless ruin, immediately behind the arches, 
is all that remains of the once splendid Temple of Concord, 
built by Camillus B.C. 386, to commemorate the accord 
established between the Patricians and Plebeians, regarding 
the election of the Consuls. It was in this temple that Cicero 
convoked the Senate, B.C. 63, and delivered his second oration 
against Catiline. It was entirely rebuilt by Tiberius a.d. 7. 
There is no communication whatever, from either the cella 
or the crypt of this temple, to the Tabularium behind. 



134 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



The three Corinthian columns to the left are the remains 
of The Temple op Vespasian, erected by Titus to his deified 
father, and afterwards restored by Septimius Severus, to 
which, the fragment of the inscription, E S T I T V E R, 
still remaining on the cornice, relates. 

Behind these temples there is a massive wall of great 
squared stones, surmounted by a portico, walled up during 
the middle ages, but of which one arcade has been lately 
opened — the whole serving as substruction to the modern 
offices of the Roman municipality. This was The Tabu- 
larium, the great Record Office of ancient Rome, built by 
Q. Lutatius Catulus, B.C. 78. The interior of what remains 
of this massive edifice is well worth visiting. The door is 
at the left end of the building, at the summit of the descent 
we have just made. 

The eight Ionic columns to the left, are the remains of the 
Temple of Saturn,* from the earliest times the public trea- 
sury. Originally dedicated by A. Sempronius Atratinus 
and M. Minucius B.C. 497, it was rebuilt several times. The 
last restoration, as shown by the defective construction, was 
made at a late period, under the Empire, but at what exact 
date the inscription remaining on the pediment gives no 
information. 

Further back, and between the temples of Saturn and 
Vespasian, there is a range of small columns — The Portico 
OF the Dn Consentes — the twelve great deities — recon- 
structed by Vettius Agorius Prsetextatus, A.D. 367, in front 
of a series of offices for the use of the public scribes and 
notaries, believed to be The Schola Xantha. 

* As an English archaeologist, in a work recently published, has transposed the 
names of the temples of Saturn and Vespasian, it becomes necessary to state, that the 
identity of these three temples, at the base of the Capitoline, as given in this Guide, has 
been established beyond the possibility of contradiction. 



The Old Rostrum. 



135 



By the side of the Arch of Septimius Severus are the 
remains of The Old Rosteum, a platform of convex projec- 
tion, with the base moulding, and some portions of the 
marble facing still remaining ; and at the end, nearest to 
the arch, is the base of one of the Rostral columns, which 
bounded it. 

Turning now in the opposite direction, we have imme- 
diately before us The Column of Phocas — Byron's "name- 
less column with a buried base" — erected by the Exarch 
Smaragdus, a.d. 607, in honour of the Emperor Phocas. 
The area around the base of this column was excavated in 
1816, at the expense of the Duchess of Devonshire,* and to 
this, and a small portion of the nearest corner of the great 
Basilica Julia opposite, was the excavation of the Forum 
limited up to the end of the year 1870. 

Immediately after Rome became the capital of Italy, the 
works were recommenced, under the able direction of Sign or 
Rosa, and since then the extended area before us has been 
cleared of the enormous mass of accumulation which covered 
it. The discoveries made have entirely set at rest the many 
contending theories regarding the direction of the Roman 
Forum, and the names of the different edifices of which 
remains were visible, anterior to the commencement of the 
excavations at the beginning of this century. 

Extending away to the right is the enormous area covered 
by The Basilica Julia, founded by Julius, and completed by 
Augustus, on the site of the Basilica Sempronia. The many 
square brick pedestals are restorations of the pilasters of 
the arcades which formed the external porticoes around the 
grand central hall. These have been erected on the remains 

* The Duchess of Devonshire had nothing to do with the excavation of the temples 
and edifices already mentioned. 



136 Tourist's Handbook to Home. 

of the ancient foundations, and at the west side, and north- 
west corner, are several of the original pilasters in situ, 
with some portions of the vaulting. Along The Via Sacra, 
which divides the Forum in its length, and The Vicus 
Tuscus, which turns from it at right angles at the further 
end, the ancient steps which led from these streets into the 
Basilica can be traced from place to place ; and in the por- 
ticoes are considerable remains of the large white marble 
slabs, and in the great hall, of the richly coloured slabs of 
rarer marbles, with which they were paved. The great 
drain — cleared and restored to use since its discovery at 
this point— visible beneath the pavement of the portico, at 
the further end, is a portion of The Cloaca Maxima, built 
by Tarquinius Priscus, to drain the marshy ground of the 
Forum and the Velabrum. 

Beyond the Basilica Julia stand three splendid Corinthian 
columns, the remains of the Temple op Castor and Pollux, 
originally dedicated, B.C. 484, in commemoration of the 
victory gained at Lake Regillus. Rebuilt and enlarged at 
different times, the three columns still standing are the 
remains of the temple as restored by Domitian. 

Directly under the modern level, in front of the Arch of 
Septimius Severus, and between the Column of Phocas and 
the Church of St. Adriano, are Two Marble Balustrades, 
sculptured on both sides. On the inner sides of each are 
the animals — a pig, a sheep, and a bull — offered in the 
sacrifice of expiation called the Suovetaurilia. On the outer 
side, towards the Capitol, is an alto relief commemorating 
the great act of — one might say Christian — charity, per- 
formed by Trajan, in the establishment of a number of 
orphan asylums throughout the Roman dominions; and 
on that towards the Palatine, the burning of the public 



Temple of Antoninus. 



137 



records of the arrears of taxes, remitted by the same 
Emperor. 

On the side of the Via Sacra, opposite to the Basilica 
Julia, are the pedestals of a number of Honorary Columns ; 
and in the middle of the flagged area, the fragmentary 
nucleus of the pedestal of the colossal gilt bronze equestrian 
Statue of Domitian, described by Statius ; the key to the 
topography of the Forum, and the discovery of which 
definitely settled all controversy on the subject. 

Proceeding along the modern level, at the edge of the 
excavation, we reach, on the left, The Temple of Antoninus 
and Faustina, dedicated to the Empress Faustina, a.d. 138. 
After the death and deification of Antoninus Pius, his name 
was included in the dedication, and added to the inscription, 
still remaining, above that of his wife. The portico, formed 
by ten monoliths of Carystian marble, a considerable 
portion of the marble cornice, and the walls of the cella, are 
still entire; and we are indebted for their preservation to a 
church, dedicated to St. Lorenzo in Miranda, having been 
constructed within them at a very early period. It is men- 
tioned as being a collegiate church in the time of Martin V., 
who, in 1430, gave it to the confraternity of apothecaries, 
or, as we might say, to the College of Surgeons of that time.* 
The church was rebuilt in its present form by Torrianu in 
1602. 

Turning from the temple and church to the excavation 
below, we see, between them and the Temple of Castor and 
Pollux, a great mass of concrete. This is the nucleus of the 
podium of The Temple op the Deified Julius, erected by 

* This neighbourhood would seem to have been the head-qnartcrs of the medical 
profession from the days of the Empire. It was close to this spot fchat Gales had his 
shop on the Via Sacra, which was burnt down during the great conflagration when 
the Temple of Peace was destroyed ; and the ancient church, a little further ou, upon 
the left, is dedicated to the martyred physicians, Cosmas and Damian. 



138 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Augustus, ou the spot where Caesar's body was burnt. It 
was a small temple on a lofty platform, and in front is the 
lower platform of the Rostrum, erected in connection with 
the temple, and - decorated by Augustus with the prows of 
the galleys taken at the victory of Actium. 

Somewhat to the left, and immediately under the cliff of 
the accumulation, is a shapeless mass of concrete, which can 
be recognised as having originally been circular. This is 
all that remains of the famous Temple of Vesta, originally 
founded by Nuina Pompilius ; the abode of the vestal 
virgins during life, and after death; the shrine in which they 
preserved the Palladium, veiled from sacrilegious eyes ; and 
where, typical of the social hearth of the Roman people, 
they kept the sacred fire for ever burning. Adjoining, are 
fragments of ruined walls jutting out from the accumula- 
tion. These, in all probability, are the remains of The 
Regia, but we must await the continuation of the excava- 
tions, before anything certain can be known regarding them. 

The little Church, close to the three columns of the temple 
of Castor and Pollux, is dedicated to Santa Maeia Libera- 
TRICE. Of early origin, and originally dedicated to 8. 
Salvatore in Lacu, it was rebuilt in its present form in 1617. 

Continuing onwards, we find, on the left, a small church, 
with an ancient door of bronze, flanked by small columns of 
porphyry, dedicated to the martyred physicians, Saints 
Cosma and Damiano. (See page 142.) 

The hurried traveller may proceed direct to this Church, 
but the reader, desirous of forming a clear conception of the 
topography of the ancient city, is advised to make a diverg- 
ence to 

THE FOEA OF AUGUSTUS AND NEEYA, 
taking the Academy of St. Luke on the way, and back to 



Academy of St. Luke. 



139 



the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, in front of which 
we are supposed to be standing. 

Returning to the Arch of Septimius Severus, turn to the 
right, into the Via Bonella. The first edifice on the left, 
No. 44, is 

THE ACADEMY OF ST. LUKE, 

where the Picture Gallery is open every clay from 9 to 5. 

We ascend the stairs, on the walls of which are plaster 
casts of some of the sculptures on the Column of Trajan ; 
and passing through the ante-room, where there are some 
old engravings, enter the Gallery. The pictures are not 
numbered, but each bears the name of the painter, and the 
subjects will be easily recognised in the following order, 
omitting those of lesser importance :■ — 



FlKST EOOM. 



Turn to the left on entering. 



A Storm : Tempesta. 

The Flight into Egypt : Barocci. 

The Mystic Marriage of St. Ca- 
therine of Alexandria : Mem- 
ling. 

Deposition from the Cross : Un- 
known. 

The Three Graces (a sketch) : 
Rubens. 

A Pastoral Scene : Orrizonte. 

The Virgin with the Infant 
Christ and Angel Musicians : 
Vandyke. 

Landscape with Ancient Monu- 
ments : Orrizonte. 

St. Jerome Praying in the Desert: 
Titian. 

Portrait of Innocent XII. : Velas- 
quez. 

Sea Piece : Fernet. 
Landscape : Poussin. 
Cascade with Peasants Fishing : 
Salvator Rosa. 



Mountain Scene with Fishers : 

Salvator Rosa. 
Idem : Poussin. 

St. Jerome Expounding the 
Scriptures : Spagnoletto. 

A Seaport : Fernet. 

Vanity : Paul Veronese. 

Portrait of a Lady with a Lace 
Collar: Vandyke. 

Curnsean Sibyl Chanting the 
Oracles : Gherardo delta Xottc. 

Cardinal Wolsey receiving his 
Cardinal's Hat: G. H. Bar- 
low. 

Portrait of a Man: Titian. 

Vanity, semi nude, Lying on a 
Couch: Titian. 

Angels Announcing the Nativity 
to the Shepherds: Bassano. 

A Seaport: Claude Lorrain. 

A Bust with floating hair : Ber- 
nini. 

Doloue : a bust. 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Passing the pilasters which divide the third room from the 
first ; on the last : 



Heads of Cats : Salvator Rosa. 
Bust of Salvator Betti. 
Bust of Tenerani. 
Bust of Thoewaldsen. 



St. Agatha : Bonifazio. 
Cupid and Psyche: Luti. 
Portrait of a Lady with a Lap 
Dog: Titian. 



Second Boom. 
Commencing from the right. 



Bacchus and Ariadne : Guido. 
Susanna and the Elders : Paul 

Veronese. 
The Virgin Suckling the Infant 

Jesus : Albani. 
Sea Piece : Vernet. 
The Triumph op Galatea; copy 

by Julio Romano ; from 

Raphael's fresco in the Far- 

nesina. 

Triumph of Bacchus: Poussin. 
Hebe : Pellegrini. 
View on the Tiber : Vanutelli. 
St. Bartholomew Flayed: Bron- 
zino. 

St. Luke Painting the Porteait 

op the Virgin : Raphael. 
The Tribute Money: Titian. 
St. Andrew: Bronzino. 



Musicians (unfinished) : Titian. 

Venus and Cupid (fresco trans- 
ferred to canvas) : Guercino. 

Tarquin and Lucretia: Guido 
Cagnacci. 

Cupid (transferred from a vault- 
ing in the Vatican): Raphael 

Fortune: Guido. 

The Mystic Marriage of St. Ca- 
therine of Alexandria : Paul 
Veronese. 

Callistoand the Nymphs: Titian 

Perseus and Andromeda: Cav. 
d'Arpino. 

An Architectural Elevation : Can- 
aletto. 

Portrait of Claude Gellee — 
called Lorrain ; painted by 
himself in 1862. 



On the upper part of the walls are arranged 136 portraits of members 
of the Academy of St. Luke. 

Third Boom 

chiefly contains portraits of Academicians of St. Luke. On the wall 
to the right, as we face the window, and on the right of a frame con- 
taining medals, is The Death of St. Cecilia, by Pozzi ; and, the second 
in the second row above it is a portrait of Thorwaldsen. On the left, 
a Servant, by Subleyras ; and above it, the portrait of Angelica 
Kauffmann. Oh the wall, under the window to the right, is a small 
portrait of John Gibson, wearing a red cap, by Penry Williams ; and 
in the middle of the end wall, to the left, is another portrait of him, 
in a grey coat, leaning on his modelling stool and holding a white 
handkerchief, by Boxall. On the pilasters, facing the windows, are 
a portrait of Virginia Lebrun, and a picture of Iris, by Head. 

On the lower floor there are three rooms, containing chiefly paint- 
ings, models, and drawings, to which the prize medals have been 
awarded. In the first room are the original models of Gibson's 
" Hunter," and of a fine statue of an " Athlete," by Kessells. In the 



Academy of St. LiiTce. 



141 



third is the model of Thorwaldsen's " Graces," by no means one of 
his best works ; and a number of casts of the Egina marbles, sent by 
King Louis of Bavaria to Pius IX. 

At the end of the Via Bonella stands a massive wall of 
ancient masonry, with a low arch, called the Arco dei Tan- 
tani, leading throngh it, and on the left, three grand columns 
of the Corinthian order. The wall is the boundary of The 
Forum of Augustus,* and the columns the remains of the 
Temple of Mars Ultor — Mars the Avenger — bnilt by Au- 
gustus within the limits of his Forum, and dedicated to the 
deity who had aided him in taking vengeance on the mur- 
derers of his uncle. 

Turning through the arch to the right, and again taking 
the first turning to the right, we find, on the left, two 
Corinthian columns, half buried, supporting an entablature, 
and standing outwards from a wall of large squared stones. 
These are remains of the boundary wall, and inner por- 
tico of The Forum Transitorium. Within its area stood 
a grand temple to Minerva, of which considerable remains 
were in existence to the time of Paul V., 1605-21, who threw 
them down to use the materials elsewhere. On the en- 
tablature is a figure of Minerva in alto-relief, from which 
this ruin is popularly supposed to be the remains of a 
temple dedicated to that goddess. The frieze is ornamented 
with a number of small figures in alto-relief, illustrating 
the arts protected by her. 

Turning now, to the left, and then taking the second 
street to the right, brings us back to the Temple of Anto- 
ninus and Faustina ; beyond which, to the left, we find the 
bronze doors of 



* The construction of this wall affords the clearest evidence that it is a great mistake 
to suppose that it ever formed part of the fortifications of the regal period. 



142 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



THE CHUECH OF S.S. COSMA AND DAMIANO. 

It is built in and among the remains of three ancient 
edifices, believed to be temples. The first, forming the 
circular vestibule, was The Temple of Romulus, erected by 
Maxentius to his son of that name, who was deified imme- 
diately after death. The second edifice, forming the body 
of the church, and the third, the posterior portion, have not 
been satisfactorily recognised. The church was originally 
constructed by Felix IV., 526-59 ; and it is presumed that 
the ancient mosaic in the apse, dates from that period. In 
subsequent alterations made, the lateral portions of the 
mosaic were cut away, so that the design is incomplete ; 
and it has been altered and restored in parts. The floor, 
also, was raised by Urban VIII., in 1632, considerably 
above the ancient level, which has now become the floor of 
the crypt. 

Next to the church, is The Oratory of the Confrater- 
nity of the Lovers of Jesus, and, in front of it, two half 
buried columns of Carystian marble, of uncertain pertinence. 
A little further, on the left, are the magnificent ruins of The 
Basilica of Constantine. Three colossal arches, forming- 
one aisle, are standing almost entire ; while portions of the 
great piers, which supported the remainder of the build- 
ing, show the ground plan complete. This Basilica was 
founded by Maxentius, the last of the pagan emperors, and 
completed and dedicated by Constantine. It stands on, or 
near, the site of the celebrated Temple of Peace, erected by 
Vespasian, on the site of the Atrium of Nero's Palace. It 
measures 320 feet in length by 235 feet in width, and the 
span of each arch is 80 feet. 

The vaulting of the nave was supported by eight grand 



Palace of the Ccesars. 



143 



columns of the Corinthian order, the last of which was still 
erect in its place at the commencement of the year 1613, 
when PanlV. spent 10,996 scndi (abont £2,200), in remov- 
ing it to the piazza in front of Santa Maria Maggiore, to 
support a bronze statue of the Virgin and Child. 
Directly opposite is the entrance to 

THE PALATINE AND THE PALACE OF THE C^SAKS.* 

The excavations made upon the Palatine, and chiefly at 
the expense of the late Emperor of the French, Napoleon 
III., since 1861, have rendered it a centre of the deepest 
interest to all strangers visiting Rome, and second only in 
importance to the Forum itself. 

Up to a comparatively recent period, this hill, which, by 
the time of Alexander Severus, had become entirely covered 
by the grand series of palatial edifices which constituted the 
Palace, of the Caesars, was divided into a number of private 
vineyards, beneath which the remains of the imperial resi- 
dence lay buried. All that was visible of the magnificent 
structure, which covered no less than 62J acres, were some 
picturesque fragments of ivy-clad walls, jutting up here and 
there from among the vines and vegetables, and, at the 
north-west and south-east corners, great masses of ruin, 
almost unrecognisable, so entirely were they filled by accu- 
mulation and overgrown by vegetation. 

In 1861 the Emperor of the French bought that portion 
of the Palatine known as the Orti Farnesiani — the Farnese 
orchards — from the ex-Royal family of Naples, into whose 
possession it had passed, and commenced the excavations 
which have had such important and interesting results. 



* Open to the public on Thursdays and Sundays only. 



144 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



The greater part of the remains of the Imperial Palace have 
been laid bare ; the portions erected by succeeding emperors 
clearly ascertained; and the nses and purposes of the various 
halls, chambers, and galleries, fully made out. At the same 
time, together with these discoveries, others, connected with 
the earlier history of the Palatine, have been made; remains 
of the republican houses, and temples, that stood upon the 
hill before the palace was commenced, and some portions of 
the wall of fortification of the time of Romulus. 

But it is altogether beyond the bounds of possibility, for 
a stranger, Guide-book in hand, to make his way through 
the multitude of ruins, so as to recognise and understand 
them. To do so would have been difficult enough when the 
whole was entire, and each portion had its distinctive aspect, 
but, when each clump of ruin bears a more or less general 
likeness to those around it, the task becomes hopeless. 
Were each traveller an archaeologist, versed in the language 
of stones, and able to recognise at a glance, each separate 
mode of construction, — for each has its distinct character- 
istic, like the paintings of different schools — then the path 
through the labyrinth might be indicated, with some degree 
of certainty of the directions being understood ; but as this 
is impracticable, all that can be attempted will be to give a 
general indication of the localities, and refer the student to 
archaeological lectures for further information. 

The reader must bear in mind what vicissitudes and 
changes this gigantic edifice, or congregation of edifices, has 
undergone. The building of the palace was commenced by 
Augustus. It was enlarged by Tiberius, and still further 
extended by Caligula. Cut down in size by Claudius, its 
extent was more than doubled by Nero, who continued its 
buildicgs away on to the Esquiline, as far as the central 



Palace of the Ccvsars. 



145 



railway station. It was partly burnt down in his time, and 
rebuilt with greater splendour. Its extent was restricted 
again by Vespasian, to the limits of the Palatine. In the 
time of Titus it was burnt a second time, and was rebuilt, 
and added to, by Domitian. Commodus made other addi- 
tions ; his immediate successors, changes and alterations. 
Septimius Severus built a great wing towards the south, 
which Heliogabalus and Alexander Severus extended still 
further to the south-east. With the removal of the seat of 
empire to Constantinople, it fell into ruin ; the Goths and 
Yandals — much maligned people — are said to have stripped 
its remains to the condition in which we find them, but, 
strangely enough, the materials are recognised in the many 
churches and marble palaces of medieval Rome. 

Such being, in. brief, the history of the palace, the reader 
will easily comprehend that several volumes would be re- 
quired to furnish an exact guide to the remains, and that 
it is no discredit to this little book to decline attempting, 
except in a general, and necessarily imperfect manner, what 
every Guide to Rome yet written has utterly failed to 
accomplish. 

Ascending the incline, we find before us a chamber con- 
taining a picturesque cascade fountain. This was made by 
the Farnese family, and forms no part of the Imperial 
Palace. Turning to the left, as far as the angle near the 
Arch of Titus, we come to the remains of an ancient road, 
the Summa Nova Via, which, after skirting the side of the 
Palatine, joined the Via Sacra at the Arch of Titus, and 
then, turning to the right, led — at a lower level than that 
it now follows — to the Porta Vet us Palatii, the later 
name for the Pokta Mugonia of the wall of Romulus. 
Considerable remains of this gate were found, but the 

L 



146 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



stones— tufa of a very friable quality — nave crumbled 
almost entirely to dust, and only a few of the lower range 
can be recognised. The shapeless mass of concrete on the 
right is the remains of the celebrated Temple oe Jupiter 
Statoe, founded by Romulus, on the spot where the tide of 
battle turned against the Sabines. It was in this temple 
that Cicero summoned the senate to meet, and pronounced 
his first oration again si Catiline. The great pile of ruins 
immediately in front are the remains of the grand suite of 
State Rooms built by Domitian — the JEdes Publicoe of 
Nerva. The central opening leads into the Great Audience 
Chamber, with, on one side, the Lararium, and on the 
other the Basilica — the Judgment Hall. It was believed to 
be that mentioned in the Acts of the Martyrs S.S. Silvester 
and Lawrence ; but there is no ground whatever for the 
supposition that it was here St. Paul was brought before 
Nero. The evidence of the date when this portion of the 
palace was built, obtained in the course of the excavations, 
precludes all possibility of such having been the case. Nor 
can the arguments be sustained which would seek to prove 
that it was an earlier Basilica, rebuilt on the same sjDot by 
Domitian, or that in some other way it marks the site of 
that in Nero's Palace. 

Behind these three chambers is the great Peristtlium — 
believed to be that called Sicilia by Capitolinus, and if so, 
it was here that Pertinax was murdered. It has a ransre of 
small rooms on the right. The left side is jjartly encroached 
upon by the grounds and buildings of the Monastery of the 
Nuns of the Visitation. 

From this Peristyle a subterranean passage, originally 
paved with mosaic — of which some portions remain — passes 
under the Area Palatini, to a long Ceypto-Poeticus, and 



Palace of the Ccesars, 



147 



connects the buildings of Tiberius and Caligula with those 
of Domitian. 

A flight of narrow steps leads down from the area of the 
Peristyle, to some small chambers of the early imperial 
period, with considerable remains of coloured decoration of 
great beauty on the ceilings. These were excavated and 
left open to visitors, long before Xapoleon's excavations 
were commenced, and are popularly known as The Baths 
of Ltvia ; but there are no traces of baths within them, nor 
are there any indications, from which it can be ascertained, 
if they formed an adjunct to the House of Augustus in this 
direction, or if they are rooms belonging to a private house 
of the same period. 

From the Peristyle we pass into The Great Triclustuai, 
believed to be the Joins Ccenatio mentioned by Capitolinus, 
with The Xyaipeceuii, and the remains of its great fountain, 
on the right. It is conjectured that a corresponding 
Kymphaeum will be found on the opposite side, when the 
excavations are continued in that direction. 

Passing beyond the Triclinium, we And the remains of a 
small portico of columns of Carystian marble of the Corin- 
thian order, which probably formed one side of an Atrium, 
and beyond it, the remains of two halls, to which the desig- 
nations of Library, and Academy, have been given, on con- 
jecture. 

Turning to the right, we come to the platform of a large 
temple, supposed to be that of Jupiter Victor (*?), built in 
commemoration of the victories over the Samnites gained 
by Fabius Maximns. B.C. 295 ; and next to it the foundations 
of a smaller temple, supposed to have been that of Jupiter 
Pbopugnator. 

Continuing along the same side of the hill, we reach a 



148 



T :>':>. rial's HT'T/iabooJ: to Rome. 



deep cutting', where a Clivus lias been discovered, leading 
down from this corner towards the Velabrum. It was 
formed by steps of travertine, interrupted from place to 
place by short paved inclines, and on each side are the 
remains of the ancient wall of fortification, in some pan? 
distinctly showing the construction of the regal period. 
Signor Rosa would identify this Clivus with that, up which 
Virgil describes JSneas and Evander ascending. It answers 
the description exactly, and in all probability is the localitv 
indicated by Virgil, but it would be absurd to suppose, nor 
does Signor Rosa intend to imply, that any of the construc- 
tions belong to so remote a period, or even to the time of 
the first kings of Rome. On the other side of the Clivus. 
and at its summit, are foundations and architectural frag- 
ments of large size, belonging to edifices and temples of the 
Republican period, but regarding which nothing has yet 
been ascertained. The lofty mass of ruin, overgrown with 
shrubs, somewhat further on. was conjectured to be the 
remains of The Augur atoeium : but its particular form, and 
the Statue oe Cybele. found close by. lead to the supposition 
that it was the temple of that goddess, which is known to 
have stood in this vicinity. 

The range of vaulted chambers of small size, immediately 
before us. are a portion of the substructions of The House 
or Tiberius, above which the accumulation has not been 
touched. On the right we look down into a series of 
chambers, with richly coloured fresco paintings on the 
walls, in a wonderful state of preservation. This — one of 
the most important and interesting discoveries made in the 
course of the excavations — belongs to the period imme- 
diately preceding the foundation of the Imperial Palace. It 
is believed to be The House oe Tiberius Claudius Nero, the 



Palace of the Ccesars. 



149 



father of the Emperor Tiberius.* The Yestibuium is almost 
perfect, its vault is entire, and the painting on the walls, 
and the mosaic pavement, are scarcely damaged. Consider- 
able remains of the mosaic pavement of the Atrium, which 
belongs to the class described by Vitruvius as Atria Testu- 
dinata, are still remaining, and sufficient of the decoration 
of its walls, to convey an exact conception of what its 
appearance must have been. Three large rooms open off 
from the Atrium. The walls of that in the centre — the 
Tablinum — are painted with subjects from classical mytho- 
logy. On the right, the fable of Io guarded by Argus, 
and on the end wall, the story of Acis and Galatea. In the 
corner is a view of a part of a Roman house, divided into 
terraces ; and above are two smaller pictures. The rooms 
on each side of the Tabhnum, called the right and left 
wings, are decorated with richly coloured panels, figures of 
genii, and wreaths of fruit and flowers, painted in a most 
masterly manner. 

A doorway at the corner of the Atrium, to the right on 
entering, opens into another room, supposed to have been 
the Triclinium, also richly painted. Close to this is a 
narrow staircase, leading to the posterior portion of the 
house, which is divided by a long passage. On the right 
side are the bath rooms, store room, and, at the further end, 



* A solitary opinion has been given, that these are the remains of the House of Hor- 
tensius, in -which Augustus lived for forty years. It is supported on arguments iu 
direct contradiction aud misinterpretation of the many passages in the classic authors, 
■which allude to the House of Horteusius, and the Donius Augustaua which succeeded 
it. Those passages mention in detail the surroundings of the house of Hortensius as 
rebuilt by Augustus, of not one of which is there the slightest indication in this 
locality. The entire topography is altogether different from that described. Suetonius 
distinctly tells us, that the house of Hortensius was destroyed by fire ; but in opposition 
to this, it is argued that, being built of stone, it could not have been destroyed, and 
that the Donius Augustaua was nothing more than the " House" of Hortensius re- 
roofed and repaired. An examination of the friable tufa with which the house is built 
— the material in use at the end of the Kepublic — will convince any one that, subjected 
to the action of fire, it would crumble to dust. The construction is that called opus 
reticulatum, formed of small stones cut square, placed diamoml-wise, and of pointed 
wedge shape, entering from six to eight inches into the body of the wall. 



150 



Tourist's Handhooh to Rome. 



two shops, fronting upon an ancient street ; on the left, a 
number of small rooms, surrounding the Peristyle, in the 
middle of which are the remains of the staircase which led 
to the upper floor. From the further end a subterranean 
passage opens, and leads direct to the site of The House OF 
Augustus, the remains of which lie under the cypresses we 
see before us on emerging from the passage. 

Crossing now to the side of the hill, facing towards the 
Aventine, we descend the inclined path, and turning to the 
left, pass in front of a number of unrecognised constructions, 
and then reascending, find some grand masses of ruin in 
front, and on the left. Turning to the left, we enter an 
immense area in the form of a parallelogram. This was the 
great Stadium of Domitian, still encumbered with many 
feet of accumulation, except a small space in front of the 
Impeeial Pulvinae — the great semicircular niche — which 
was excavated in 1871. 

Passing to the further end, and round the back of the 
Pulvinar, through the remains of halls, of which portions 
are standing to a considerable height, we see before and 
below us, the colossal substructures built by Septimius 
Severus, to support the enormous extension of the palace 
made by him on this side of the hill. A portion of its 
grand frontage, the Septizonium, was standing till the 
sixteenth century, when it was destroyed by Michael Angelo 
for building purposes. A little causeway on the right, leads 
to a platform on the more projecting ruin, from whence 
there is a magnificent view on all sides. Returning from 
this spot, and passing some great fragments of vaulting, 
coated with mosaic, we shall find, on the side overlooking 
the Ccelian, a modern staircase, very much out of repair. 
This leads down below the Porticoes of Septimius Severus, 



Palace of the Ccesars. 



151 



from whence we return towards the north. Repassing 
the end of the Stadium of Domitian, we descend to the 
lowest level, and find the remains of a richly sculptured 
cornice of a portico — of which only one of the small 
granite columns was found — supported on pilasters of 
modern brickwork, with, behind it, a number of small 
chambers of irregular form, still bearing considerable re- 
mains of the stucco facing, and traces of colouring. These 
are believed to be part of the DoMUS GelotiauA, incor- 
porated into the Imperial Palace. The intonaco on the 
walls is covered with graphites, rude scratching^ made 
by soldiers and schoolboys, from which it would seem that 
there was an entrance to the palace from this side, guarded 
as the graphites show, by veterans of the foreign legions 
called Peregrini, and, that it led to the school of the imperial 
pages. It was on one of these walls, that the celebrated 
graphite of the crucifixion of a man with an ass's head, was 
found, with the inscription, AAe^a^evos o-e/3e-ai Oebv. It was 
cut out from the wall, and removed to the Museum of the 
Roman College. 

Passing through the door at the further end, and turning 
sharply round to the right, a few paces up the ascent, we see 
the remains of a wall, formed by large blocks of tufa. This 
is a section of the original Wall of Foktificatioxof Romulus, 
preserved, as will be seen, by having been incorporated into 
later constructions. 

Returning to the lower level, and continuing onwards, we 
reach the west corner of the hill, and the remains of a private 
house, which, from its construction, may be attributed to 
the time of Hadrian, or Trajan. A few yards in front of 
it is a curious altar, found here in 1820, bearing the in- 
scription : 



152 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



SEI. DEO. SEI. DEIVAE. SAC 
C. SEXTIVS. C. F. CALVINVS. PR. 
DE. SENATI. SENTENTIA. RESTITVIT . 

supposed to have been re-erected, near the Temple of Vesta, 
by the son of Caius Sextus Calvinus, who was Consul, B.C. 
122, in commemoration of the mysterious voice of warning 
heard in the Forum, before the invasion of the Gauls. 

Turning along the north-west side of the hill, w r e find, 
immediately on the right, another portion of the original 
Wall of Fortification built by Romulus. It is massive 
in construction, formed of large parallelograms of tufa, 
imperfectly squared, and rudely put together. Along this 
side of the hill we pass the flank of the houses of Tiberius 
and Caligula, behind which are walls of opus reticulatum, 
remains of the earlier edifices of the Republic, and beneath 
them buttresses of large squared blocks of tufa, supposed 
by some to be a continuation of the wall of fortification, but 
the perfection of the masonry indicates a much later period. 
In all probability they were substructures of one of the 
grand palatial residences of the later Republicans, which 
gave place to the Imperial Palace.* 

The circular brick edifice at the bottom of the valley, on 
the left, is The Church of St. Theodore, built, it is believed, 
on the remains of an ancient edifice, possibly a temple. 
The church dates from a very early period, for the first 
record we have regarding it, is its restoration, by Adrian I., 

* It must not be supposed that because a wall is built of square blocks of tufa, it 
necessarily belongs to the time of the kings ; the greater probability is that it does not. 
Tufa being the native stone of the country, has been used in various forms, from, an- 
terior to the foundation of Rome, to our own day ; and as long as temples, basilicas, 
and other great edifices were being erected, portions of them were built of great squared 
blocks of tufa, peperino, Gabine stone, or other primitive materials, at the discretion 
of the architect. Vide the great blocks of tufa in the walls of the Colosseum. Their 
position shows them to be integral parts of that edifice, and not walls of earlier build- 
ings incorporated into it. 



The Museum. 



153 



in 774 ; and the mosaics in the tribune are supposed to 
belong to that time. 

Having reached the northern corner of the Palatine, we 
turn to the right, into an ancient street, called The Clivus 
Victoria (?), with ruined walls on each side, and vaultings 
above it, towering to a great height. These mark the site 
of that portion of The House of Caligula, which was thrown 
down by Claudius, and rebuilt againfat a later period. 
Some arches, lined with ornamental stucco work, will be 
seen on the right, which probably formed the front of 
the Domus Caligulse, as restricted by Claudius. A very 
narrow staircase, immediately on"the right after turning, 
leads up to a series of chambers, above the lower range of 
arches, in which there are remains of the mosaic pavements, 
and of the fresco painting on the walls. A kind of balcony 
passes in front of these chambers, protected by a marble 
balustrade, of which a portion remains in situ ; and it is 
supposed that this gave communication to The Bridge, which 
Caligula threw across the Forum, to' the Capitoline Hill. A 
little further, on the right, is another staircase, wide and 
lofty, leading to the imperial apartments on this side. 
Further, on the left, we find a few steps, which lead to a 
small modern building at the corner, one of the edifices 
of the Farnese, now converted into 



THE MUSEUM 



for the reception of things found in the course of the 
excavations. The contents are not all numbered, but the 
principal objects will be recognised in the following order, 
commencing to the right against the wall : 



15-4 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



A number of fragments of bas 
reliefs and statuettes in terra 
cotta. 

A very fine terra- cotta double 
lamp (injured), standing on 
a small column ol peperino. 

Glass case (under the window) 
containing a number of an- 
cient brick stamps. 

Glass case (between the windows) 
containing a number of frag- 
ments of ancient glass. 



Glass case (under middle window) 
contai ni ng a number of silver 
and bronze coins. 
Glass case (between the windows) 
containing a number of im- 
plements in bone, such as 
hair pins, bodk in s, styles,. 
&c. ; and fragments of an- 
cient glass, terra-cotta, and 
bronze. 

Glass ease (under the window) 
containing a number of frag- 
ments of ancient fresco 
painting. 

On the end Wall. 

Two squares of inlaid marbles — opus sectile, in gilt frames — being 
angles of wall panelling formed of a number of small pieces 
arranged in very beautiful designs ; found in the House of Tibe- 
rius, and carefully restored. 

Against the Wall facing the Windows. 

marble. On the lower two 
are a number of specimens 
of the ancient marbles used 
in the Palace — as above. 
Pyramidal glass case, containing 
a quantity of terra cotta 
vases, lamps, balsauiaries, 
and other objects. 
Two names— One containing a 
number of hah pins, knife 
handles, spoons, and other 
objects in bone; and the 
other, a variety of imple- 
ments in bronze. 



Shelf, holding a number of speci- 
mens of the ancient marbles 
— found on the Palatine — 
which were used for the 
decoration of the wails of 
the Palace. 

Pyramidal glass case, containing 
a number of objects in 
bronze, marble, and terra 
cotta. 

Four Shelves — On the upper 

two are various fragments 
of sculpture, &c, in rare 
and very richly variegated 

In the middle 

1. Torso seated. 

2. Head of Yenus (mediceval). 

3. Head of dying Persian Soldier 

4. Fragment of the lower portion 

of a Statue of JEseulapius. 

6. Head of a Faun. 

7, 13, 16. Three Caryatides in 

black marble — neroantico, 
found, together with the 
head of Claudius, No. 18, 
on the edge of a lime kiln, 
near the Piscina, in front 
of Signor Rosa's house. 



of the Room. 

8. Plaster cast of a fragment of 

an ancient copy of the 
celebrated Faun of Praxi- 
teles ; found on the edge 
of a lime kiln. The marble 
was sent to Paris. 

9. Head of Atys, coloured red ; 

found in theDomus Tran- 
sitoria, beyond the Arch 
of Titus, on the right. 

10. Leg of an Apollo. 

11. Bust of a GM; the face has 

much beautv. 



The Arch of Titus. 



155 



13. Vide No. 7. 

14. Head of iEsculapius, belong- 

ing to No. 4. 

15. Head of Agrippina (?) or of 

Antonia (?) the younger, 
the wife of Drusus. 

16. Vide No. 7. In front is a 

fragment of Spato fluore, 
supposed by some to be a 
piece of the celebrated 
Murrhine Stone. 

17. Head of Nero. 

18. Head of Claudius. Fide No. 7 

19. Head of Marcus Aurelius. 
21. Infant Bacchus, seated on the 

hand of a Faun. 

25. Head of Seneca ; this was not 

found in the Palatine. 

26. Fragment of a statuette 

sculptured in green basalt ; 



found at the same place 
with No. 7, &c. 

27. Torso of a statuette of a Boy 

Bacchus. 

28. Torso of a statue of Venus 

Vectrix, draped in a thin 
veil, of great beauty. 

31. Head of an old Woman, 

dressed in a style which 
would indicate the com- 
mencement of the Empire. 

32. Female head. 

33. Head of Cupid. 

34. Plaster cast of a head of Julia , 

daughter of Titus; sent to 
Paris. 

38. Plaster cast of Head of an 
Imperial Lady, probably 
one of the Flavian family; 
sent to Paris. 



FROM THE PALACE OF THE OESARS TO 
ST. JOHN LATE RAN. 

Immediately on the right, after leaving the Palace of the 
Csesars, stands 

THE ABCH OF TITUS, 

erected to him, posthumously, a.d. 81, in honour of the con- 
quest of Judea, and the taking of Jerusalem. Having fallen 
into a very ruinous condition, it was entirely restored by 
Valaclier, in 1822 ; but the portions added, being of traver- 
tine, are easily distinguishable. It was built of white Pen- 
telic marble ; a single archway, with four engaged columns, 
fluted, and of the composite order, on each front — two on 
each side of the archway, divided by large panels — and the 
whole surmounted by an attic, bearing an inscription on 
each face, of which only that towards the Colosseum remains. 
The inscription towards the Forum records the restoration 



156 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



made by order of Pius VII. The alto-reliefs on the inside 
of the arch represent two scenes from the triumphal entry 
of Titus, after the war. On one side, Titus in his triumphal 
chariot, drawn by four horses, preceded by a personification 
of Home, and surrounded by senators, and lictors carrying 
the fasces. On the other, soldiers bearing the chief trophies 
brought from Jerusalem — the golden table, the silver trum- 
pets, and the seven -branch candlestick. The vault of the 
arch is ornamented with rosettes and sunk panels, and, in 
the centre, is a representation of the Apotheosis of Titus. 

The mass of ruins, with the great wall behind them, on 
the right, after passing through the arch, formed part of the 
Palace of the Cassars, where it extended to the eastern corner 
of the hill ; possibly the commencement of The Domus 
Transitoria of ISTero. From the presence of walls of a 
much later date, built in among the original construction, it 
is evident that in the course of the fourth century, this part 
of the palace was either appropriated for, or given up to, 
private uses. Among these later additions, are some in- 
teresting remains of baths. 

On the left of the Arch of Titus and in a line with it, are 
some of the white marble steps still remaining, which gave 
ascent, from this side towards the Forum, into the great por- 
ticoes which surrounded 

THE TEMPLE OF VENUS AND EOME. 

This magnificent edifice was designed by the Emperor 
Hadrian, and founded by him a.d. 121. For its support he 
constructed the immense artificial platform of concrete, 
which extends from the ridge of the Velia in the direction of 
the Colosseum. It measures about 500 feet by 300, and, at 
the end facing the Colosseum, forms a terrace 28 feet in 



Church of Santa Romance. 



157 



height above the ancient level. The temple was double, 
formed by two cellce, placed back to back, the one fronting 
towards the Forum, the other towards the Co]osseum. 

The Proneos of each front was formed by four Corinthian 
columns of white marble, and the whole was surrounded by a 
double portico. The inner, had ten Corinthian white marble 
columns, of six feet in diameter, at each end, and twenty 
on each side, counting the corner columns both ways. The 
outer, was formed by a double range of grey granite columns, 
of four feet in diameter, but extending along the sides only; 
and of these a number of great fragments are still lying on 
the platform.* The ascent to the area of the porticoes from 
the end towards the Colosseum, was by nights of steps, of 
which only the shapeless foundations remain at each corner. 
Of the temple itself, nothing is left but the two great 
apses, and part of the walls of the cellas ; but only that 
towards the Colosseum is entirelv visible, the other being- 
enclosed within, and to a great extent hidden by, the 
buildings of the Monastery connected with 

THE CHUECH OF SANTA FRANCE SC A E OMAN A, 

which is not only built on the platform of the temple, and 
among its ruins, but to a great extent was constructed of 
the materials belonging to it. The Church is supposed to 
date from the time of St. Sylvester, 314-335, and to mark 
the spot where Simon Magus fell to the ground and was 
carried off by demons. It was first dedicated to Sts. Peter 
and Paul.f It was restored by John VII., in 705. About 

* Murray states that the columns of this outer portico were about 200 in number ; 
but I cannot find his authority for saying so. 

t There is reason for believing that the Church of S.S. Peter and Paul, built vrhero 
Simon Magus fell, was a different edifice, situated in the immediate vicinity, but having 
been destroyed at an early period, its memory has become confused with this. 



158 



Tourist's Handbooh to Borne. 



850 St. Leo IY. gave it the title of Sta. Maria Nuova, in 
consequence of having transferred to it the sacred articles 
belonging to a neighbouring church, called Sta. Maria 
Antica, which had fallen down. About 860 it was rebuilt, 
almost from the foundations, by St. Nicholas I., to whose 
time the mosaics on the vault of the apse are attributed. 
About 1216 it was injured by fire, and restored byHonorius 
III., and again it was entirely restored under Paul V., by 
Carlo Lombardi, who built the present facade in 1516. 

Between the stairs leading up to the higher level of the 
tribune and transepts, is a group of Santa Francesca, re- 
cently executed by Mele. 

In the right transept is the tomb of Gregory XL, 1370- 
78, and above it, a curious and interesting bas relief, by 
Olivieri, representing his entry into Eome in 1377, and the 
return of the Papal court, after 72 years' banishment in 
Avignon. On the end wall is a block of basalt, protected 
hy iron bars, which is said to bear the impress made by 
the knees of St. Peter on the Via Sacra, when he knelt to 
invoke the Almighty aid against the arts of Simon Magus. 
At the end of the left transept there is a fine marble Cibo- 
rium of the fourteenth century. 

Repassing under the Arch of Titus, and down the incline 
— the ancient Via Triumphalis — we see before us the Colos- 
seum, and on the right, — ■ 

THE AECH OF CONST ANTINE, 

dedicated to him in honour of the great victory gained over 
Maxentius at the Pons Milvius, now called the Ponte Molle, 
situated about two miles beyond the Porta del Popolo. 
Seen from a short distance, and taken as a whole, it presents 
the appearance of a grand work of art and architecture 



Arch of Constantine. 



159 



combined ; but examined in detail, it is found to be a most 
remarkable piece of architectural patchwork. The inscrip- 
tions relate to Constantine, but the greater part of the 
sculptures belong to the time of Trajan, and illustrate events 
in his reigD ; some also belong to an intervening period — 
possibly to the time of the Gordians. 

It has three archways, that in the centre being larger 
than the others ; and is ornamented on each front by four 
Corinthian colnmns of ISTumidian marble — giallo antico — 
above each of which is a statue of a Dacian prisoner,* and 
between the statues are the inscriptions over the central, and 
two alto-reliefs over each side archway. These statues and 
alto-reliefs belonged to an arch erected to the Emperor 
Trajan, as did also the circular bas-reliefs over the side 
arches, and the upper reliefs on each end. These latter 
originally formed one piece of sculpture, which was cut in 
two to adapt it to the ends of this arch. Whether the arch 
erected to Trajan was destroyed to afford materials for this, 
or through some other cause, we have no means of ascer- 
taining, but the beauty of the architectural proportions 
would suggest, that in addition to the materials being 
utilised, the original design by Apollodorus was closely 
followed. The bas-reliefs on the inside of the central arch 
are conjectured to be of the time of the Gordians. The re- 
mainder of the sculptures are of the time of Constantine, 
and those immediately over the side arches illustrate events 
during his reign. The lower portion of the column, at the 
angle towards the Temple of Venus and Rome, has bee:: 
repaired with white marble. 

* The heads of these statues were broken off. it is said, by Lorenzino de Medici, and 
■were restored by Clement XII., in 1734, who also replaced the statue on the right of the 
central arch towards St. Grecrorio — of which all the upper portion had been destroyed 
— by one in white marble, placing the ancient fragment, which, like the others, was 
sculptured iu Phrygian ruorbie, in the Atrium of the Capitoline Museum. (See No. 11.) 



160 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



In front of the arch are the remains of an ancient foun- 
tain, called The Meta Sudans, vulgarly supposed to have 
been for the gladiators to wash the perspiration from their 
bodies. The name was given from the central portion being 
in the form of the Metce, which stood on the goals of the 
circus. It was called Sudans, because the water trickled, 
like drops of perspiration, over the sides from a small orifice 
on the top. A little further on, between the Colosseum and 
the end of the platform of the Temple of Yenus and Eome, 
are the remains of a square construction. This was the base 
of the colossal bronze Statue of Nero. 

We now enter the magnificent ruins of 

THE FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATRE, 

commonly called The Colosseum, a name it received in the 
middle ages, from the enormous proportions, which make it 
a Colossus among buildings. It was called the Flavian 
Amphitheatre, from the three Emperors of the Flavian 
family — Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. It was founded 
by Vespasian, about the year 72, on the site of the orna- 
mental lake in Nero's garden. In the year 80, Titus 
dedicated it with games which lasted 100 days, and during 
which 9000 wild animals were slain on the arena ; and it 
was completed by Domitian, who added the shields and 
ornaments which surmounted the cornice. 

According to the traditions of the Church, thirty thousand 
Jewish prisoners of war were employed in building it ; and 
an inscription discovered in the Catacomb of St. Agnes — 
now in the crypt of the Church of Sta. Martina — has led to 
the supposition that the architect was a certain Gaudentius, 



The Colosseum. 



161 



-who became a Christian, and himself suffered martyrdom on 
the arena. 

In form it is an ellipse, measuring 1848 feet in circuni- 
f erence. Externally it is divided into three series of arcades, 
one above the other, snrmonnted by an attic. The arcades 
are supported by great piers, with engaged columns on the 
exterior. The lowest, 35ft. 6in. in height, is of the Doric 
order ; the second, 39 feet in height, is of the Ionic ; the 
third, 39ft. 5in. in height, is of the Corinthian order; and 
the attic, which has Corinthian pilasters, measures 46ft. 
7in. in height, with an entablature above of 4ft. 6in. — the 
total height being 165 feet. The extreme length from the 
external walls is 629ft. 6in., and the extreme width 527ft. 
6in. The arena measures 288ft. 6in. long, by 182ft. Gin. 
wide. The height of the Podium from the arena is 22ft. 
4m. 

The Cavea, which was capable of giving accommodation to 
87,000 spectators, was divided into four belts of seats, 
ranging* upwards from the arena. First, the Podium — 
a platform on which were the seats for the Imperial 
family, the Vestal Virgins, Magistrates, and other members 
of the Government of the day. Second, the first Prcpcinc- 
tiones, formed of 24 rows of seats one above the other, for 
persons of Senatorial rank. Third, the second Prcecinc- 
tiones of 16 rows of seats, for persons of the Equestrian 
order. Fourth, the Menianum of 25 rows of seats, the 
upper 16 of which were of wood, for the Plebeian order. 
The entrance to the seats was through the 80 arches of the 
external portico, each fourth arch admitting to one of the 
four belts of seats in regular rotation. Each arch — with 
the exception of the four which formed the principal 
entrances, one at each end of the greater, and one at each 



162 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



end of the lesser axis — is numbered on the key-stone, the 
numbers remaining being from XXIII. to LIIIL 

In the arches over the two main entrances, at the end 
of the greater axis, were bronze chariots drawn by four 
horses ; and marble statues stood in all the other arches 
of the second and third tiers. The spectators were protected 
from the sun's rays by a great Velarium, extended from 
240 masts, which were passed through holes, 18 inches 
square, in the cornice, and stepped on the corbels below. 

The great number of holes in the walls were made during 
the dark ages, for the purpose of extracting the metal bolts 
used in the construction,* with the exception of a few in 
the lower arcade, which were made for the supports of the 
partitions, when, first Sixtus V., 1685-90, converted the 
Colosseum into a woollen manufactory, and afterwards 
Clement XI., 1700-21, turned it into a saltpetre manufac- 
tory, for the supply of his gunpowder mills, established 
among the remains of the Baths of Trajan. 

There is reason to believe that the outer wall remained 
entire until it was rent by the great earthquake in 
September, 1349. The earliest record of the materials 
being employed for other purposes is found in a letter 
written shortly after that event, i.e., in 1362, by the Bishop 
of Orvieto to Urban V., at Avignon, stating that he had 
met with little success in raising money by the sale of the 
stones of the Colosseum. During the middle ages it served 
as a great stone quarry. The Venetian Palace, the Can- 
celleria, the Farnese, and Barberini Palaces, and the Quay 

* It is an absurdity to suppose that these holes were caused by the rusting of the 
bolts cracking the stones and forcing the portions outwards. The marks of the tools 
employed for the purpose are visible in many places. The same thing was done at the 
Janus Quadrifrons, in the interior of the Column of Trajan, and other places, on the 
harder material of the marble blocks of which the marks of the pointed tools can be 
etill more distinctly seen. 



The Colosseum. 



163 



at the Eipetta, to say nothing of a host of smaller edifices, 
were built of the great blocks abstracted from it. This 
spoliation continued till Benedict XIV., 1740-50, arrested 
the further destruction of the building by dedicating it to 
the blood of the Christian martyrs who suffered within it, 
and erected stations* around the Podium on the modern level. 
Finally, as portions of the outer wall at the fractured ends 
menaced ruin. Pius VII., in 1805, built the great buttress 
on the side towards St. John Lateran, and, in 1828, Leo 
XII. completed that on the side towards the Forum. 

It is an error to suppose that the Amphitheatre was con- 
structed for the purpose of giving gladiatorial shows. It 
was a place built for the exhibition of wild animals, and 
wherein the spectators could see them fight together, or 
with men. without the danger to which they were subjected 
when such games were given in the Circus. In all the 
earliest records, the Colosseum is called a hunting theatre : 
but, as it was admirably adapted for gladiatorial combats, 
many were given within it, together with every other 
variety of exhibition of a kindred nature, which, through 
the shedding of blood, whether of men or beasts, held the 
spectators under an overpowering fascination. Many Chris- 
tians suffered martyrdom in the arena : not that they were 
absolutely brought here for execution, but, as it often 
happened that the number of the men called BesMarii, who 
devoted themselves to the fighting with animals as a pro- 
fession, was insufficient for the purpose, malefactors were 
given by the Government, or refractory slaves by their 
owners, to supply the deficiency, and among such male- 
factors were Christian men and women, condemned for 
the crime of superstition, and neglecting, or inciting to the 

* The excavations now in progress have necessitated the removal of these stations. 



164 



Tour is fs Handbook io Home. 



neglect, of the service of the gods. It is possible that dis- 
tinguished persons, snch as St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, 
were sometimes sent into the arena to give greater zest to 
the enjoyment of the spectators, and to serve as a greater 
warning. 

Excavations are now being carried on within the Colos- 
seum, for the purpose of removing the many feet of 
accumulation under which the original level of the arena 
has hitherto been hidden. A portion of it has already been 
laid bare. 

Leaving the Colosseum by the end furthest from the 
Forum, we see two streets running parallel from us. That 
on the right, called Via San Giovanni Laterano, leads direct 
past the Basilica of St. Clement, to the Basilica of St. John 
Lateran ; but we shall take that on the left, called the Via 
Labicana. A short distance on the left side, a doorway in 
the wall leads up an incline to the ruins miscalled The 
Baths of Titus, but which are in reality the remains of a 
portion of 

THE GOLDEN HOUSE OF NERO. 

These lofty chambers and corridors were filled in with 
rubbish by Trajan, in order to convert them into a plat- 
form to support his Baths* and give them a magnificent 
aspect towards the city. At the same time, a number of 
transverse walls were built, to give the platform greater 
strength, and others obliquely from the front, to serve as 
foundations for the open air theatre of the stadium above. 

* Some magnificent and most picturesque clumps of ruin — the remains of these 
Baths — are to be seen in the vineyard above, but, being private property, the place is 
not easv of access. It is very extraordinary, that notwithstanding that these ruins 
were verified as long ago as 1818, as being the remains of the Theksi^: of Tkajax. all 
the guide books, Murray included, continue to call them the Baths of Titus, jumbling 
up the Baths of Titus, of Trajarf, these remains of the Golden House of Nero, and the 
Villa of Maecenas, into a mass of confusion, suggestive of the blind guiding the blind. 



Golden House of Nero. 



1(35 



The difference between the constructions of Nero and of 
Trajan can easily be recognized. The former show traces 
throughout of the marble panellings and pavements, and 
of the fresco painting on the upper part of the walls, and 
on the vaultings : the latter, bear no traces of ornamentation 
of any kind, and have panels of opus reticulatum in the 
brickwork. This portion of the Palace consists of a 
rectangular court, or internal garden, having a fountain in 
the centre, with ranges of chambers on three sides, and a 
long crypto-porticus on the fourth. On some of the vaulted 
ceilings are considerable remains of fresco painting, which 
we may reasonably suppose to have been either the work of 
Amulms* or executed from his designs. At the entrance 
to the crypto-porticus some mosaics have been discovered 
at a lower level. They are pavements of small private 
houses which occupied the site anterior to the building of 
the Golden House.f 

The custode show two pedestals on which they state that 
the group of the Laocoon, and the statue of the M eleager, 
both in the Vatican Museum, were found ; but neither of 
these works of art were found here. The Laocoon was 
discovered in the Vigna de Freddis, at some short distance 
from these remains, and on the higher level of the vineyard 
above, near the ruins of the great reservoir of the Baths of 
Trajan, called the Sette Sale; and the Meleager was found 
on the other side of Rome, outside the Porta Portese. 
Before these chambers were filled up, everything of value 

* These chambers were first discovered in the time of Raphael, -when the paiutii! . i 
were in a much better state of preservation, and it is related by Vasari, thai u. j 
served as models for the Arabesques in the Loggie of the Vatican, painted by Giovaj i 
da Udine, under Raphael's direction. 

+ It is vulgarly supposed that these pavements formed part of the Villa of Mffioen 3, 
but that Villa was on the further side of the Esquiline, near where now stands i . e 
Basilica of Sta. Maria Maggiore. That it was od the outskirts of the city is proved by 
the fact, that Horace was buried in the grounds of the Villa, and inteiinurol Bepulture 
was forbidden by law. 



166 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



was remoyed ; nothing of any importance was discovered 
during the clearance of the portions excavated, nor is there 
the least probability of anything being found in the parts 
which are still fall of rubbish. 

Although these chambers were first discovered at the end 
of the fifteenth century, it was not till 1811-14 that the 
parts now accessible were entirely cleared, and the nature 
of the edifice to which they belonged ascertained. 

Turning to the left, along the Yia Labicana, the first 
street on the right takes us into the Yia San Giovanni 
Laterano, by the end of 

THE BASILICA OF ST. CLEMENT, 

the door of which will be found by turning again to the 
right, and proceeding a few steps, in the direction of the 
Colosseum. Until recently this Basilica was believed to be 
that which, according to the testimony of St. Jerome, pre- 
served the memory of St. Clement — that memory, according 
to tradition, being the house in which he had lived, and 
wherein he ministered to his Christian brethren. Of a church 
dedicated to St. Clement we have a continuous series of 
records, from the end of the fourth century to our own day, 
and as the records from the twelfth century distinctly apply 
to this Basilica, it was supposed — in the absence of any other 
church bearing the same dedication — that those of the earlier 
centuries did so equally. In the year 1857, however, Father 
3Iullooley, the learned Prior of the Irish Dominicans, to 
which order the church belongs, commenced excavations, 
and discovered an earlier Basilica, of which no record re- 
mained, exactly beneath, what, by comparison, must now 
be called the modern church. At some period, anterior 
to the twelfth century, it was abandoned — filled up, as the 



Basilica of St. Clement. 



167 



chambers of the Golden House were — and turned into a sub- 
structure for the church above. It is probable that the 
necessity for this arose through the rain and devastation 
caused throughout this region, by the soldiers of Robert 
Guiscard. vrhen he entered Rome by the Lateran Gate, in 
1084, on behalf of Gregory VII.. and that, as the building 
cf the upper vras contemporaneous with the abandonment 
of the lower church, the memory of the one became merged 
in the other. The columns * dividing the aisles from the 
nave are still standing in their places ; the intercolumnia- 
fcions filled in with a rude wall of foundation for the church 
above. The walls are seen to have been covered throughout 
with paintings in fresco : some irreparably damaged, and 
scarcely recognisable, others in a most remarkable state of 
preservation. The mosaic pavement is in many places 
entire, and the foundations of the marble choir and ambones 
removed into the upper churcht — at the time it was built, 
are distinctly recognisable. 

The following are the more important of the frescoes 
found : — 

On the wall of the right aisle, at the Tvro groups of heads, on the 
back of a niche : tipper part of the wall, look- 

The Tii-gin with the infant ing from opposite points to 

Saviour on her lap. one centre , and which formed 

On the Vault. the corners of a large picture, 

A head of our Saviour. supposed to have heen a re- 

On the sides. presentation of one of the 

Fragments of what is supposed Councils held in St. Clement's 

to have been a representation Mutilated figure of our Saviour, 
of the sacrifice of Abraham. life size. 



* Excepting some on the south side, which had been injured and replaced by brick 
pilasters, covered with fresco painting, some time anterior to the building of the upper 
church. 

T The evident antiquity of the marble choir in the upper church, was regarded as 
evidence of its being the same mentioned by St. Jerome ; but it is now clear, that when 
the lower church was abandoned, the choir was removed, and placed in the new church 
above. 



168 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



On the south side of the nave. 

Pier : St. Clement officiating at 
the altar, and, above, his 
installation by St. Peter. 
Below, is a scene repre- 
senting some slaves moving 
a column under the direc- 
tion of a centurion. 

Pier : The story of St. Alexius ; 
above, a seated figure of our 
Saviour between the arch- 
angels Michael and Gabriel, 
and St. Clement and St. 
Nicholas. 
On wall and pilaster at corner. 

The Crucifixion. 

The Marys at the Sepulchre. 



The Descent of our Saviour into 
• Hades. 

The Marriage at Cana in Galilee. 
On walls between the columns 
of the Narthex. 
Translation of the relics of St. 

Clement from the Vatican 

to this Basilica. 
The Miracle at the shrine of St. 

Clement. 
Our Saviour blessing according 

to the Greek rite, between 

two angels ; and St, Cyril 

and St. Methodius. 

At the end of the left aisle. 
Fragments of the Crucifixion of 

St. Peter. 
St. Cyril baptising by immersion. 



But, in addition to these discoveries, it was found that 
the Basilica, which shows the construction of the fourth 
century, was built upon the walls of an edifice of the first 
century, which further explorations have proved to be the 
remains of 

ST. CLEMENT'S HOUSE. 

Of this several rooms have been excavated. A Vestibulum, 
leading into a chamber with a vaulted ceiling, adorned with 
beautiful stucco ornaments, and, through this, another 
chamber, beyond which is a staircase communicating with 
the south aisle of the Basilica. Beyond these, towards the 
west, a triple arch, divided by columns, opens upon a kind 
of corridor, from whence a door leads into a large room, 
which, towards the end of the third century, as shown by 
the construction, was converted into a Mitheaic Temple ! ! 
There can be little doubt that this was the Memoria men- 
tioned by St. Jerome. 

THE ORATORY, 
wherein he, and whomsoever among the apostles may have 



The Oratory. 



1G9 



been in Rome, ministered to the first Christian converts, 
and that it was converted to the service of the Persian deity, 
when, in all probability, the property was confiscated during 
the fearful persecution in the time of Diocletian. 

In the course of these excavations, walls of still earlier 
edifices were discovered below the floor of the primitive 
Basilica. One, of large blocks of tufa, supposed to be a 
portion of the agger of Servius Tullius, and upon it, a course 
of blocks of travertine, the remains of an edifice of the 
Republican period, for which it bad served as foundation.* 

As we have record of the Church of St. Clement having 
been rebuilt by Paschal II., 1099-1118, and as this was 
shortly after the taking of Rome by Robert Ghiiscard, in 
1084, we must attribute the building of the upper Basilica 
to him. It is one of the purest and most complete models 
of the Basilican form that has come down to us, and was 
entered, as were all the early Basilicas, through an Atrium 
still existing, f There was no doubt a Narthex, although its 
line can no longer be traced. The marble Choir and Am- 
bones originally belonged, as we have seen, to the primitive 
Basilica. There is reason to suppose, from the curious 
monogram on the panels, which is read — Johannes — that 
they were erected by John II., 522-35, who, anterior to his 
elevation to the Pontificate, was Cardinal titular of St. 

* Tlie author of this Guide desires to direct the attention of the Visitor to the extra- 
ordinary difficulties under which this remarkable excavation has been made beneath 
the flooring of the upper church, resting as it did enly on the lilling in, which had to bo 
removed. As the work progressed, it became necessary to throw arches across and build 
pilasters to support the weight above. The whole of this arduous undertaking has 
Been accomplished by the untiring energy and perseverance of one man — Father Mul- 
looley — unaided, except by the contributions of friends interested in the work. The 
excavation of St. Clement's house has still to be completed. The works will be n com- 
menced when there are sufficient funds, towards which all who can appreciate and 
■who cannot ?— the importance and interest of the subject, will gladly contribute, in 
recognition of the advantage they have derived through Father Mullooley's labours. 
A book for subscriptions is kept in the Sacristy. 

t The original entrance is from the side street connecting the Via St. Ofiovanni 
Lateran with the Via Labicano. 



170 Tourist 's Handbook to Borne. 



Clement's ; more particularly, also, as there are two other 
records of him, on materials utilised in this upper church, 
which originally belonged to the lower. On one of the 
marble slabs used for the foundation of the ambones, there 
is the inscription, " Salvo Hormisda Papa Mercurius pres~ 
byter cum sociis offert" which is supposed to indicate a 
restoration of the altar by him, during the pontificate of his 
predecessor, Hormisdas, 514-23 ; and on the rim of one of 
the capitals of the delicately carved columns of the monu- 
ment of Cardinal Venerio (obit 1479), at the tribune end of 
the left wall, his name again appears — "Mercurius presb. 
S. Clementis." There can bo no doubt that these columns, 
thus curiously utilised, belonged to the lower church, and it 
is conjectured that they formed part of the support of the 
Ciborium. 

The walls of the little chapel of the Crucifixion, to the left 
on entering, are entirely covered with frescoes by Masaccio, 
chiefly illustrative of the life of St. Catherine of Alexandria. 
The subjects, commencing from the left, are : St. Catherine 
refusing to worship Idols ; Converting the wife of the 
Emperor Maximin from the window of her prison ; The 
Execution of the Empress ; Catherine disputing with the 
Heathen Philosophers ; Her Delivery from Martyrdom on 
the Wheel ; Her Decapitation ; The Crucifixion (over the 
altar) ; An Inundation at Alexandria, in punishment for the 
death of the Martyrs, with St. Catherine praying at a win- 
dow. The subject of the next painting is not known. 

In the Chapel of the Sacrament, at the end of the right 
aisle, are two good fifteenth century monuments, and a 
statue of St. John the Baptist, by Simons, the brother of 
Donatello. 

The Church, which is 170ft. 6in. long, by 70ft. 9in. wide, 



Tlie Obelisk. 



171 



was restored in the upper portion by Clement XI., in 1715, 
to whose time the ceiling, and the paintings on the walls 
illustrative of events in the lives of St. Servulus, St. Igna- 
tius, and St. Clement — belong. 

Turning to the left, on leaving by the side door, we con- 
tinue up the ascent of the Yia San Giovanni Laterano, to 
where it opens on a large piazza, in the middle of which is 
a grand Egyptian Obelisk. At the right hand corner, and 
on the left side, before we enter the Piazza, are the 
buildings which form the Hospital of the Santissimo Salva- 
tore, for females, capable of giving accommodation to 578 
patients. It was founded by Cardinal Giovanni Colonna, in 
1316. On the further side of the Piazza are The Lateral 
Palace, the side entrance to The Lateeax Basilica, and 
The Baptistet of the Lateeax. 

THE OBELISK 

is the largest, and the most ancient of those brought from 
Egypt to Koine. It was erected by Thotmes IY., in front of 
the great temple at Thebes, 1740 years before the Christian 
era. It was brought as far as Alexandria by Constantine the 
Great, and from thence to Eome by his son, Constantinus, 
who erected it on the spina of the Circus Maximus.* It was 
found in 1587, among the ruins of the Circus, broken in 
three pieces, and so injured at the base, by fire, that it was 
necessary to shorten it by about three feet. The original 
height of the shaft was 109ft. 7in. ; it now measures 106ft. 
7in. The mass contains 11,256 cubic feet, and weighs 440 
tons. It was erected where it now stands, by Fontanel, for 
Sixtus V., the same year it was found. The Pope in fact 

* The Obelisk in the middle of the Piazza del Popolo, brought to Eome by Augustus, 
also stood on the spina of the Circus ilaximus. 



172 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



had it disinterred for the purpose, expending on the excava- 
tion, restoration, erection, &c, 24,716 scndi, or about £5200, 
besides 28581bs. of metal for the bronze cross and orna- 
ments. The cross is 6ft. 6in. high. 

As we look towards the Obelisk from the portico of the 
lateral entrance to the Basilica, we see two ancient brick 
arches, towering above the modem buildings — the Ostericu 
del Gocchiof — on the opposite side of the Piazza. They 
form a fragment of The Aqueduct of Nero, a branch built 
by him from the Claudian, to convey water for the supply of 
the Imperial Palace. 

THE BASILICA OF ST. JOHN LATEEAN 

is the Cathedral of Rome : " Sacrosancta Later unensis ecclesia 
Omnium urbis et orbis HI cclesiarum Mater et Caput" — Mother 
and head of all the churches in the city, and throughout the 
world. It is in this church the Pope is crowned, when he per- 
forms one of his first acts as supreme Pontiff — that of taking 
possession of the Lateran Basilica. It is called San Giovanni 
in Laterano, from its having been built on the site of the 
house of a Roman senator named Plautius Lateranus. Con- 
stantine first gave the house to Pope Melchiades as his 
episcopal residence, and afterwards, at the request of his 
successor, St. Sylvester founded the Basilica. It was con- 
secrated by St. Sylvester, in the year 319, and dedicated to 
The Saviour, which name, together with that of the Con- 
stantinian Basilica, it retained till 1144, when Lucius II., 

* The weary sightseer can get simple and thoroughly good, though roughly served, 
refreshment in this Osteria. They have an unhmited supply of fresh eggs for omelettes 
frittate ; aud the wine, the ordinary wine of the country, is excellent. There is a clean 
little room for forestieri up stairs; or, if the leaves are on the trees, the best place is 
the open ah- under the shade of the Cocchio behind the house. A speciality of this 
Osteria is snails, which they cook most exquisitely; but, unfortunately for the ma- 
jority of travellers, they only come into season on St. John's Day, the 2-ith of June, 
when the place is crowded with the lovers of this delicacy. 



Basilica of St. John Lateran. 



173 



having instituted here a special worship to the Saints John 
the Baptist and the Evangelist, the name was changed to 
that it now bears. It was also called the Basilica Aurea, 
on account of the immense value of the offerings, in the 
shape of lamps and sacred vessels, by which it was enriched. 

It was first restored by St. Leo I., 440-61 ; then by St. 
Zachariah, 741-52. In 896 the columns of the south aisle 
were seriously damaged by the great earthquake of that 
year, when, in consequence of the discord regarding the elec- 
tions of the Pontiffs, it fell into so neglected a condition 
that grass and thistles grew in the nave. In 905, restora- 
tions were commenced by Sergius III. It was re-roofed by 
Innocent II., 1130-43. The vault of the tribune was 
decorated with the mosaic still existing, and a new facade 
built, by Nicholas IV., 1287-91. In 1308 it was, with the 
exception of the tribune, almost entirely destroyed by fire, 
through the workmen employed in repairing the lead 
covering of the roof, upsetting a pan of lighted charcoal. 
Clement V., who then occupied the papal chair in Avignon, 
sent a small sum of money to commence the rebuilding of 
the church, but the work proceeded very slowly till Petrarch 
influenced Benedict XII., 1334-42, who sent 50,000 florins. 
In 1360 it was again injured by fire, and restored by Urban 
V., 1362-70, who erected the Grothic tabernacle over the high 
altar, which has recently been restored by Pius IX. ; and 
finally it was completed by Gregory XL, 1370-78, who made 
the lateral doorway which opens towards the Obelisk. The 
beautiful pavement of opus Alexandrinum was laid by Martin 
V., 1417-31, and other embellishments commenced by him 
were finished by Eugenius IV., 1431-47, who also strength- 
ened the columns and architraves. Sixtus IV., 1471-84, 
repaired the Campanile, and Innocent VIII., 14S4-92, or, 



174 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



■according to others, Alexander VI., 1492-1503, built the 
great arch, supported by columns of grey granite, at.the end 
of the nave. The magnificent carved wood ceiling was made 
by order of Pius IV., 1559-66, from, it is said, a design by 
Michael Angelo. It was gilt by his successor, Pius V., and 
was restored at the end of the last century, by Pius VI. 
Sixtus V., 1585-90, erected the portico and loggia in front 
of the side door, and placed, as we have seen, the Obelisk in 
the middle of the Piazza. About the commencement of the 
seventeenth century, Clement VIII., 1592-1605, altered the 
basilican plan into the cruciform, by the construction of 
the transepts, which he embellished with marble panelling 
and paintings in fresco, as we now see them, covering them 
with a ceiling of wood, richly carved, but very inferior in 
style to that of Pius IV., over the nave. 

Notwithstanding, however, all these additions, alterations, 
and repairs, made through a long succession of years, it was 
found that the condition of the building was insecure, 
through the injuries the columns had received, first from 
the earthquake in 896, and afterwards from the effects of 
the fire in 1308. Consequently, in 1650, Innocent X. gave 
orders to Borromino to rebuild the church, instructing him 
at the same time, to preserve all that was possible of the 
earlier edifice. The work of Borromino was chiefly confined 
to the nave and aisles, leaving the transepts and tribune 
untouched, and preserving the floor of Martin V., and the 
ceiling of Pius IV. However completely his alterations 
may have ensured the stability of the building, they have 
had the effect of depriving it of its original grandeur, and 
its Basilican characteristics. It must be remembered that, 
up to this time, the two aisles on each side were divided 
from the nave by lines of columns. The arrangement was 



Basilica of St. John Lateran. 



175 



that which can be seen in the Basilica of St. Paul's, outside 
the walls. Borromino enclosed each column of the outer 
aisles in a great square pilaster, and each tivo columns of 
the lines which bounded the nave, in massive piers, which 
almost obliterate from view the double aisles on the one side 
and the other, and diminish the apparent size of the church 
to that of the nave. Finally, the facade was built by 
Alessandro Galilei, for Clement XII., 1730-40. Standing 
■within the great doors and looking along the nave, we see, 
at the further extremity, the apse, decorated with mosaic 
by Nicholas IV., in 1287; in front of it, the tabernacle, 
erected by Urban V., in 1362, in which are said to be pre- 
served the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul. Below our feet, 
the opus Alexandrinum pavement, laid down by Martin V., 
in 1417 ; above us, the ceiling made by Pius IV., in 1559 ; 
and on each side, the piers of Borromino, 1650, in which the 
ancient columns are imprisoned. In each pier is a large 
niche, ornamented with two small ancient columns of beau- 
tiful verde antique, and containing a statue of one of the 
twelve Apostles. These statues are a little more than 
fourteen feet in height, executed by sculptors of that day, in 
the prevailing style, introduced by Bernini. The alto- 
reliefs above the statues are in stucco, modelled by Algardi 
for execution in bronze, an intention which has never been 
carried out. On the floor of the Confession, at the end of 
the nave, is the monument of Martin V., by whose orders 
the floor was laid. It is a bronze slab, with an effigy of the 
Pope in bas relief, the joint w r ork of Simone, the brother of 
Donatello, and Filarete, the sculptor of the bronze doors of 
St. Peter's. 

Passing along the inner aisle, to the right, commencing 
from the door, we find, on the first pier of the nave, a 



176 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



portrait, in fresco, of Boniface VIII., 1294-1303, standing 
between two cardinals, by Giotto. It represents him in the 
act of publishing the first Jubilee of 1300, and originally 
formed part of a great fresco which ornamented the ancient 
portico. On the second pier is the monument of the Magician 
Pope, Sylvester II., 990-1003, whose bones are said to rattle 
in his coffin when a Pope is about to die ; and on the third 
pier is the monument of Alexander III., 1159-81, who held 
the third great Lateran Council within the Basilica, when the 
doctrines of the Waldenses and Albigenses were condemned. 
On the fourth pier is the monument of Sergius IV., 1009-12. 
Passing into the transepts, which were made by Giacomo 
delta Porta, for Clement VIII., on the occasion of the 
Jubilee of 1600, we see, at the end of the right, the great 
organ, built' at the same time, and which bears the name of 
the maker, Lucas Blasii Perusinus, fecit anno. D. 1599. 
The great flag hanging from the corner was that of the 
Porcupine, the flag- ship of the Turkish fleet, defeated by 
the Knights of Malta, near the island of Gozo, on the 23rd 
of May, 1721. It was sent to Innocent XIII., by Fra 
Marcantonio Zondadari, the 64th grand master of the order. 

On each side of the doorway below the organ, is a beautiful 
column of Numidian marble — giatlo antico — 27feetin height, 
spoils of the magnificence of ancient Rome ; but it is not 
positively known from whence they were taken. The 
grand mosaic on the vault of the apse, executed for Nicholas 
IV., 1287, bears the names of its authors. On the left, at 
the spring of the vault, are the words, Jacobus Torriti jpictor 
hoc opus fecit ; and on the right, Fra Jacobus de Gamerino 
socius magistri. In the centre of the vault is a head of our 
Saviour. It is said that during the dedication of the 
Basilica by St. Sylvester, an apparition of the face of our 



Altar of the Sacrament. 



177 



Lord appeared above the altar. This miraculous event was 
represented in the original mosaic of the apse, made in the 
time of Leo I., 440-61, of which the upper portion, as we 
see it, preserved during* all the vicissitudes the building has 
undergone, was incorporated in the work of Torriti and 
Camerino, before us. The lower part of the mosaic was 
made by Gaddo Gacldi, in 1292. 

A low vaulted portico, called the Leonine Portico, after 
St. Leo I., passes behind the apse. Against the wall, on the 
right on entering, there is a curious kneeling figure of Pope 
Boniface YIIL, originally in old St. Peter's. 

Over the altar, at the back of the apse, is an ancient 
crucifix, of wood, with rude marble statues of an early 
period, representing St. Peter and St. Paul, on the sides. 

Through this portico we pass into the left transept, at the 
end of which is the richly decorated 

ALTAR OF THE SACRAMENT, 

erected in the time of Clement YIIL, 1592-1605, by Olivieri. 
It is ornamented in front by four magnificent bronze 
columns, gilt, the spoil of some imperial edifice, but nothing 
positive is known regarding them. According to the legends 
of the Church, they belonged to the Temple at Jerusalem, 
and were brought to Rome by Titus. Some archaeological 
authorities state that they were cast by Augustus, from the 
bronze prows of the galleys of Anthony and Cleopatra's 
fleet, taken at Actium, and were erected by him in the 
Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus ; others say that they formed 
part of the Temple of Jupiter at Athens, and were brought 
to Rome by Sulla; and others, again, that they belonged to the 
Temple of Xemesis. All that can be affirmed with certainty 

is, that they are antique. They are said to be full of earth, 

N 



178 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



brought from the Holy Land. The Ciborium is richly- 
adorned with pietra dura of the rarest qualities, and precious 
stones, part, it is said, of the confiscated wealth of the 
Cenci. Behind the bas-relief of the Last Supper, the top 
of the table at which our Saviour and His disciples sat, is 
said to be preserved.* 

On the right of this altar is the chapel of the choir, built 
by Girolamo Bainaldi. at the expense of Cardinal Ascanio 
Colonna. It contains a fine portrait of Martin V., by 
Scipione Pulzone. 

Of the chapels — five on each side, which open from the 
walls of the Basilica — two are especially worthy of notice. 
The Torlonia Chapel, the second on the right from the 
entrance, lately reconstructed by the Torlonia family, 
who have richly ornamented it with monumental sculpture, 
and placed above the altar a fine deposition from the cross, 
by Tenerani ; and, the first upon the left, 



THE COESINI CHAPEL, 

built for Clement XII., 1730-40, by Alessandro Galilei. 
Over the altar is a portrait in mosaic— one of the finest 
examples of this art in Rome — of St. Andrew Corsini, to 

* The list of relics connected with our Saviour, said to be preserved in this church, 
is something marvellous. Panciroli enumerates the following : Some portions of the 
manger in which our Saviour- lay at His birth ; The shirt, and the seamless coat, worn 
bvHim, both made by the Virgin Mary; Some of the barley loaves and two fishes, 
miraculously multiplied ; The table of the Last Supper ; The linen cloth with which 
He (hied the feet of the apostles ; The purple robe with which He was invested ; The 
reed with which He was smote upon the head ; The veil given by the Virgin to the 
crucifiers to bind about His loins ; Two vessels filled with the blood and water which 
flowed from His side; The haudkerehief with which His face was covered in the 
sepulchre. In the Cloisters : The marble slab [porphyry) on which the soldiers cast 
lots • The well of the woman of Samaria ; A marble slab, supported on four columns, 
marking His height ; Two of the columns which were rent in twain. And, in the 
building close \>j{vide page 193), called the Sancta Sanctorum, are the steps up which 
He ascended to the judgment hall in Pilate's house. Besides these, a number of other 
relics too numerous to mention, are preserved at theLateran, such as Aaron's thurible 
and his rod which sprouted ; The rod with which Moses divided the Red Sea, and struck 
the rock, &c. ; and so on, in chronological order, down to the mediaeval saints. The 
exhibition of' many of the chief of these relics on Easter eve is a curious sight to 
witness. 



The Corsini Chapel. 



179 



whom the chapel is dedicated. On the left, is the monu- 
mental seated statue of Clement XII., in bronze, by 2Iaini. 
The porphyry sarcophagus in front, is, with the exception 
of the cover, antique. It was a bath belonging to the 
Thermae of Agrippa, and was found in clearing away the 
accumulation from the front of the Pantheon, in 1523. 
Opposite to this, on the right, is the monument of Cardinal 
Kerens Corsini, by Maini. The columns of porphyry at 
the sides, of verde antique at the altar, and the profusion 
.of richly coloured variegated marbles employed in the 
panelling of the walls of this chapel, are all antique. 

A winding staircase takes us down into the mortuary 
chapel below, in which are the tombs of many members of 
the Corsini family ; and over the altar an exceedingly 
beautiful Pietd, by Andrea Montauti, commonly attributed 
to Bernini. 

In the third chapel, on the left, is a very fine Crucifixion, 
the size of life, attributed by some to Stefano Maderno, and 
by others, to Aurelio Givoli. 

The garden of The Cloisters is entered through the fifth 
chapel on the left. It is surrounded by a beautiful Gothic 
portico, formed by small columns, in pairs, — plain and 
twisted shafts — inlaid with the exquisite Cosmate mosaic of 
the 12th century, and supporting a beautiful frieze of the 
same work. Unfortunately, the mosaic is very much 
damaged. In this portico a number of interesting frag- 
ments belonging to the primitive basilica are preserved, and 
among other things, an episcopal throne, of marble, said to 
have been that of St. Sylvester. There are also a number 
of curiosities for the credulous. (Vide note to page 178.) 

Leaving the church by one of the main entrances, we pass 
into the Vestibule, at the right end of which is a statue of 



180 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Constantine the Great, found in the remains of his baths on 
the Quirinal, and placed here by Clement XII., 1730-40. 

The grand facade was built in 1734, by Alessandro Galilei, 
and from the central balcony the Pope nsed to give the 
Papal benediction, on St. John's day, to the multitude 
assembled in the Piazza. Above the cornice is a statue of 
the Saviour, 22 feet in height, with 14 statues of different 
saints, each 20 feet in height, all sculptured in travertine. 

The mosaic on the vault of the large niche, a short dis- 
tance beyond the Basilica on the left, is that which orna- 
mented the end of the papal dining hall, The Triclinium, 
built by Leo III., 795-816, in the old Palace of the Lateran. 
The remains of the Triclinium were still standing when the 
facade of the Basilica was built, but Clement XII., desiring 
to increase the size of the Piazza, had them thrown down, 
and the mosaic stored away in pieces in one of the rooms 
of the Palace, where it remained till Benedict XIV., for its 
better preservation, had it put together, restored, and 
erected on this spot in 1743.* The building a little further 
to the left is the Sancta Sanctorum, where the Holt Stair- 
case from Pilate's house is preserved. (Vide page 195.) 

Returning through the Basilica of St. John Lateran, to 
the side door through which we entered, we shall see, on 
the right, The Palace of the Lateran, adjoining the church, 
and on the left, a small octagonal building, 

THE BAPTISTKY OF CONSTANTINE, 

dedicated to St. Giovanni in Fonte. It is said to have been 
originally built by Constantine, at the same time with the 
Basilica, but the edifice, as we see it, dates from the time of 

* It is very curious that, notwithstanding the plain record on the inscription placed 
here by Benedict XIV., all the guide books state this to be a copy from the fragments 
of the original, preserved in the Vatican. 



The Lateran Palace. 



181 



Sixtus III., 432-40, since when it has been restored at dif- 
ferent periods, and finally assumed its actual appearance in 
the time of Urban VIII., 1623-44. The font— an ancient 
bath, of green basalt — is surrounded by eight porphyry 
columns, supporting a cornice, on which are eight smaller 
columns of white marble, sustaining the dome. The 
entrance, on the further side towards the Basilica, is formed 
by two other porphyry columns, sustaining a richly wrought 
cornice, of the same design as that over the columns around 
' the Font. These columns, and the cornice, belonged to 
some ancient edifice of considerable importance, and are 
particularly worthy of observation. The font is that in 
which Constantine is said to have been baptised by St. 
Sylvester, and in it Rienzi bathed on the night of the 1st of 
August, 1347, previous to the grand ceremony in the 
Basilica, when he assumed the insignia of knighthood, and 
was crowned with the seven crowns of the Holy Spirit. 

The frescoes in the cupola are by Andrea Sacchi, and 
those on the walls, illustrating the life of Constantine, are 
by Carlo Mannoni, Carlo Maratta, Gimignano, and Andrea 
Camassei. 

The vaults of three of the chapels which open from the 
Baptistry, are ornamented with very interesting mosaics. 

THE LATERAN PALACE. 

The ancient Palace of the Popes, given to Pope Melchiades, 
311-14, by Constantine, having fallen into neglect and ruin, 
through age, through the injuries it had received by fire — 
notwithstanding subsequent restorations — and through the 
removal of the papal residence to the Vatican after the 
return from Avignon, Sixtus V., 1585-95, had the remains 
of the ancient edifice removed, and employed Domenico 



182 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



Fontanel to build 9,11 entirely new palace. Directly it was 
finished, Sixtus took rip his abode within it, but since bis 
death, it lias never been inhabited by any pontiff. It is 
now converted into a Museum of Pagan Antiqnities and 
Christian Art. 

THE SCULPTURE GALLERY 
contains a valuable collection of ancient sculpture, but, as it 
chiefly consists of fragments of statues and architectnral 
ornament, the mere sightseer will find comparatively little 
that is attractive. For artists, architects, and archaeologists, 
however, its contents possess an interest beyond even that of 
the Vatican and Capitoline collections, for the objects it con- 
tains have, with few exceptions, been left in the condition in 
which they were found, unadulterated by meaningless restor- 
ations. The contents of the Museum are not numbered. 
First Boom. 
Turn to the left on entering. 
2nd has relief on the wall: Helen 7th. Tho Nymph Leucothea 
and Paris. feeding the infant Bacchus. 

4th. Two Boxers, in alto-relief. On the opposite wall are three 
5th. A Poet reciting his verses j fronts of Sarcophagi. On 
•to an audience. In front of pedestals around the room 

this, a fine hust of Marcus , are torsos and fragments of 

Aurelius. statues. 
5th. A fragment of a procession; On the floor : A portion of the 
the Emperor Trajan (the j mosaic pavement of the 
first head in high relief on great niche of the north- 

the right), attended by Sen- west Palaestra of the Baths 

ators and Lictors. Found of Caracalla ; found there in 

in Trajan's Forum. 1828. 

Second Room, 

Contains a number of architec- I Two Cupids pouring water, 

tural fragments, richly sculp- I with a large vase between 
tured. them ; and, 

Around the room is a series of On the left wall, opposite : A 
Capitals, most marvellously Cupid giving drink to a 

wrought and deeply under- Griffin. These are said to 

cut, but for the greater part have belonged to the Forum 

overloaded with ornament. of Trajan. 

On the right wall: A large frag- On the end wall: A large frieze 
ment of a very fine frieze. of scroll work. 



The Sculpture Gallery. 



183 



Third .Room. 

On the right : Statue of iEsculapius. 
In the Niche : Statue of Antiuous. 



Fourth Eoom, 



Contains a number of monumen- 
tal Cippi and cinerary urns, 
found in the excavations at 
Ostia and on theAppianWay. 

Turning to the right : Vestals 
sacrificing ; fragment of a 
bas relief. 



Statue of Germanicus. 
Statue of Mars. 

Ancient copy of the Faun of 
Praxitiles. 
These three statues are said to 
have been found at Frascati. 



Fifth Eoom. 



Turning to the right : 

Small terminal figure of Silenus, 
with the infant Bacchus. It 
is not improbable that it was 
from this figure Retsch took 
the idea of Mephistophiles, 
which has become the re- 
ceived type. 

Statue of iEsculapius. 

Silenus seated on a Leopard. 

The Muse Urania. 

Small terminal figure of Silenus, 
with the infant Bacchus ; 
companion to the above. 



Cinerary Urn — found at Cerve- 
tri — covered with most deli- 
cately carved ornaments. On 
the front is represented the 
end of a cock fight. The 
backers are Cupids, one of 
whom is blubbering loudly 
as he carries away his dead 
bird. 

In the middle of the Boom. 

Mithras sacrificing the Bull ; dis- 
covered near the Scala Sancta 

A short-horned Cow. 

A Stag, in basalt ; part of a co- 
lossal group, found outside 
the Porta Rortese. 



Sixth Room, 

Contains a number of Imperial statues, found at Cervetri hi 1839, 
together with several inscriptions relating to them. Turning to i he- 
right : 

Claudius, wearing a civic crown; 

torso of a seated statue. 
Drusus 
Germanicus. 
Livia. 

Colossal Head of Caligula (?) 

erroneously called Augustus. 
In the middle of the room are two 
recumbent statues of Silenus. 



Brita^nicus (?) 

Augustus (?) These two statues 
were found without the 
heads, which are additions 
made in plaster. 

Tiberius, wearing a civic crown ; 
torso of a colossal seated 
statue. 

Agrippina, the wife of Germani- 
cus, in the attire of a priestess. 



184 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



Seventh Room. 



Tarn to the right. 

Female figure, draped. Statue of Ceres. 

Fragment of a bas relief, -with Sophocles. This grand statue 

colossal figures (in the corner) was found at Terrackia ; and 

Dancing Faun; supposed to be | after haying been restored 

a copy of the statue of Mar- in some parts, was presented 

syas, by Myron ; found in to the Museum by Cardinal 

the Yia S. Lucia in Selce,on Antonelli. 

the Esquiline. Torso of a Statue of Diana. 

Fragment of a large Sarcophagus ! Statue of the Young Apollo. 

(in the comer). 



Eighth Room. 

Statue oe Neptune, found at Porto. The legs and arms are 
restorations. To the left of the door, on entering, is a curious bas 
relief, representing a vendor of masks, with an actor making his 
selection. 

Kinth Room, 

Contains architectural fragments. On each side is a column covered 
with very delicate scroll work in low relief . 



Tenth Room. 

Turn to the right. 

A very curious bas relief, representing an enormous crane, with 
ropes and pulleys ; and below, a tread-wheel with a number of figures ; 
a remarkable illustration of the means employed by the Romans to 
raise large masses of stone It formed, together with the portrait 
busts of a man and a woman on each side, part of a sepulchral monu- 
ment found in 1848, at the Cento Celle, on the Yia Labicana. 

On the opposite wall, is a bas relief, found at the same place, on 
which are represented the facade of a temple, of the Corinthian order, 
believed to be that of Jupiter Stator, and four triumphal arches. One 
bears the inscription, ARCVS , AD . ISIS. ; and another, evidently 
that of Titus, arcvs . in . sacra . via . svmma . 

Above this are heads of Mercury, Ceres, Jupiter, and Juno, in high 
relief, on one slab. 

At the end of the room; a curious sepulchral monument, represent- 
ing a female figure lying on a lofty funeral couch, with a number of 
small figures of mourners and musicians around and below it. 

In the middle of the room; a figure of Cupid on a Dolphin. 



Eleventh Room, 



Contains a number of Sarcophagi, found in the painted tombs on 
the Yia Latina, in 1857 and 1858. 



The Sculpture Gallery. 



185 



Sarcophagus ; a Boar Hunt, and, 
a man, possibly the occupant, 
who has been gored, having 
his wound tended. 
Sarcophagus ; Hyppolitus and 

Phaedra. 
In the. middle : Sarcophagus; The 
Triumph of Bacchus. 

Twelfth Room. 
Among the contents of this room are three Sarcophagi, marked *, 
discovered in an ancient tomb in the Vigna Bozzano Argoii, near the 
corner of the Praetorian Camp, in 1839. 



Turn to the right. 

Sarcophagus : Triumph of Bac- 
chus. 

Sarcophagus ; the Four Seasons. 
Bas relief; Pugilists. 
Diana of the Ephesians. 



Terminal figure of a Faun (in the 
corner) . 

Statue of a young Patrician, 

wearing the golden bulla. 
* Sarcophagus ; Slaughter of the 

Children of Niobe. 
Statuette of a Roman Lady, 
seated (on the sarcophagus). 
In the middle : A circular cine- 
rary urn, with bacchanalian 
figures beautifully sculptured 
in low relief. 



Turn to the right. 

Sarcophagus, with a representa- 
tion of the occupant. 

* Sarcophagus, with Orestes and 
the Furies. 

Statue of a young Patrician, 
wearing the golden bulla. 

♦Sarcophagus, with heads of 
Medusa and garlands of 
fruit. 

Head of Britannicus (upon the 
sarcophagus). 

Thirteenth Room. 

Curious semi -nude recumbent I 

monumental portrait of a 

certain UlpiaEpigoni, found 

in the Appian Way. 
Statue of a Senator named Dog- 

matius (see name on plinth) 
A number of large fragments of 

statues, sculptured in por- 

pbyry- 

Sarcophagus of Gallia Pkimitiva, 
ornamented with allegorical 
figures of the Seasons ; and 
portraits in the centre. 

Fourteenth Room. 

Opposite the door is an unfinished statue of a barbarian prisoner, 
discovered in 1840, in digging a cellar in the Via de' Coronari, inter- 
esting as still preserving the sculptor's " points." Against the walls 
are several circles of marble, the ends of unfinished columns, found 
in the state in which they were sent, roughly wrought from the 
quarries. These ends were sawn off, and placed in the Museum on 
account of the quarry marks and inscriptions found upon them. By 
the sides of the further door, are two plaster casts, one from the 
statue of Sophocles, in the Seventh Room, the other from the statue 
of Aristides, in the Museum at Naples. 



Statue of a Consul. 

Five portraits in alto relief ; part 
of the monument of the 
Furia Family ; found on the 
Appian Way. 

In the middle : Sarcophagus of 
Cecilius Vallianus, repre- 
senting the deceased reclin- 
ing on a couch, with musi- 
cians playing, and servants 
carrying in viands. 



186 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Fifteenth Room. 

This room and the next contain, exclusively, objects found in the 
course of the excavations made at Ostia, during the reign of Pius IX. 

Turn to the right. On this Sarcophagus : 

Head of a girl, of great beauty. 

Head of Trajan. j Head of Atys, the Sun God. 
Recumbent monumental figure, Head of a youth, with a flat cap. 

in low relief. In front of the xcindows : 

Female statue, draped. i Two glass cases, containing a 

Sarcophagus of Rubkius Thallus j number of small objects, in 

Statue of an Empress, or Pries- j glass, bronze, and terra cotta 

tess (?) Between the windows : 

Statue of a Patrician boy, wear- | A niche of mosaic — the back 

ing the golden bulla. of a domestic altar — with a 

Sarcophagus, with marine divin- j figure of van us, to whom 

ities. it was dedicated. 

Sixteenth Room. 

In the middle of the room is a recumbent statue of Atys, on which 
are traces of the original gilding. Against the wall are a number of 
leaden water pipes, bearing inscriptions; and on the wall, several 
fresco paintings, found in the course of the excavations. 

THE CHRISTIAN MUSEUM 

is entered from the further right hand corner of the court- 
yard.* It was founded by Pius IX., for the reception of 
sarcophagi and inscriptions, either found in the Catacombs 
during the excavations in progress, or in churches to which, 
they had been removed from the Catacombs, in past times. 
Its arrangement was confided to the late celebrated Padre 
Marchi, who has been succeeded in his duties by the Commen- 
datore Giovanni Battista De Rossi. 

We enter by a small Vestibule, in which there are a few 
small sarcophagi, of no great interest. At the further end 
is an ugly modern statue of our Saviour, and on the wall 
behind, three mosaics. That in the middle is a copy, made 

* The custode is sometimes obliged to admit the Visitor by the door at the head of 
the staircase, -which opens into the last room of the Picture Gallery— called the Council 
Chamber — into which, in the usual course, we pass from the Christian Museum. In 
this case, it will be necessary either to -walk through the rooms to the entrance at the 
other end, or to turn to page 195, and take the rooms in the inverse ratio. 



The Christian Museum. 



187 



in 1709, from one — now in the Crypt of St. Peter's — which 
originally belonged to the monument of the Emperor Otho 
II., in the Atrium, of the old Basilica ; the other two, repre- 
senting our Saviour blessing, and the new born Jesus washed 
by Salome, are ancient (of the 8th century), and formed 
part of the decoration of the Chapel of John VII., in old 
St. Peter's. 

The Vestibule leads to the foot of the grand staircase and 
passage leading to the pontifical apartments. It is now 
converted into a gallery for Christian sculptures. Along 
its sides are ranged a series of remarkably fine and inter- 
esting sarcophagi, intact, and in the walls are encased a 
number of the ornamented fronts of sarcophagi of smaller 
size. The subjects sculptured upon them are taken from 
the Old and New Testaments, and in many instances are 
very curiously mingled together. 

At the foot of the staircase, is a large Sarcophagus — one of the 
most important — found under the floor, and near the high altar, of 
the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, in the course of digging 
the foundations for the new Baldacchino. The front is ornamented 
with a double row of alto-reliefs, and, in the centre, two unfinished 
heads, intended to be portraits of the occupants. The subjects, com- 
mencing from the left of the upper row, are — The Creation of Adam 
and Eve ; Adam and Eve condemned to labour, indicated by a bunch 
of ears of corn in the hand of Adam, and a lamb by the side of Eve ; 
The Tree of Knowledge ; The miracle of changing the water into wine ; 
The multiplication of the loaves and fishes : The raising of Lazarus. 
On the lower row — The adoration of the Magi; The restoration of 
sight to the blind ; Daniel in the lions' den ; The prediction of Peter's 
denial ; Our Saviour led away by two Jews wearing round caps ;* and 
Moses striking the rock. 

On each side of the Sarcophagus are statuettes of the Good Shep- 
herd; and on the left, a Sarcophagus, on which is represented the 
passage of the Ked Sea. 

We now proceed up the stairs, on the sides of which the Sarcophagi 
and other objects are ranged exactly opposite to each other, in the 
order given : — 

* This subject, almost identically treated, is found on many of the Sarcophagi, and 
is considered by Catholic authorities to be the arrest of St. Peter. 



18-8 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



On* the Left Side. 
1. Sarcophagus — The raising 
of Lazarus ; Moses strik- 
ing the rock ; Our Saviour 
led away ; A pastoral 
scene ; History of Jonah. 



2. Sarcophagus — Eest oration 

of sight to the blind ; The 
woman touching our 
Saviour's garment ; The 
paralytic taking up his Toed; 
The entry of our Saviour 
into Jerusalem. 

3. Sarcophagus — On the left 

end: Shadrach, Meshach, 
and Abednego in the fiery 
furnace. On front : The 
temptation of Adam and 
Eve : The miracle at the 
marriage at Cana ; Eestor- 
ation of sight to the blind ; 
The raising of the widow's 
son; ''Thou shalt deny 
me thrice:" The paralytic 
taking up his bed; Sacri- 
fice of Abraham ; Onr 
Saviour led away ; Moses 
str ikin g the rock. On right 
end : Daniel in the Eon's 
den ; Noah hi the ark. 

4. Sarcophagus — The sacri- 

fices of Cain and Abel ; 
Temptation of Adam and 
Eve ; The occupant ; The 
paralytic taking up his 
bed; The restoration of 
sight to the blind ; Miracle 
at the marriage at Cana ; 
The raising of Lazarus. 

5. Sarcophagus — Upper row : 

Entry of our Saviour into 
Jerusalem ; Adam and Eve 
condemned to labour ; 
Moses breaking the tables 
of the law ; Portraits of 
the occupants ; Sacrifice 
of Abraham; Eaising of 
the widow's son ; Multi- 



Ox the Right Side. 

1. Sarc dphagus — Christ and the 
Apostles; Eaising of the 
daughter of Jairus ; Ei- 
gure of the occupant ; 
The raising of the widow's 
son ; Our Saviour led 
away ; The sacrifice of 
Abraham. 

2. Sarcophagus — The occu- 

pant, with a Phoenix, at 
one end; Moses str ikin g 
the rock, at the other ; 
The miracle at the mar- 
riage at Cana. 

3. Sarcophagus — The defunct 

between the Genu of the 
Four Seasons, with a mu- 
sician at each corner. 

Above, on the icall. 
Noah in the ark ; Sha- 
drach, Meshajm, and Abed- 
nego in the fiery furnace. 

Moses striking the rock ; 
Daniel in the Hons' den ; 
The sacrifice of Abraham. 



4. Sarcophagus — Our Saviour 

and six Apostles under an 
arcade. 

Above, on the wall. 
The Good Shepherd and the 
defunct. 

A pastoral scene. 

5. Sarcophagus— The raising 

of Lazarus ; The tempta- 
tion of Adam and Eve ; 
Multiplication of the 
loaves and fishes ; The 
restoration of sight to the 
bhnd; The paralytic tak- 
ing up his bed. 



The Christian Museum. 



plication of the loaves and 
fishes. Lower row: Moses 
striking the rock ; Our 
Saviour led away; "Thou 
shalt deny me thrice ;" 
Daniel in the lions' den ; 
The paralytic taking up 
his hed ; The restoration 
of sight to the blind ; The 
woman touching our 
Saviour's garment ; The 
miracle at the marriage at 
Can a. 

Above, on the rvall : 
Adoration of the Magi ; 
Birth of our Lord, and 
oxen looking into the man- 
ger ; Daniel in the lions' 
den ; The defunct, Cris- 
pin a ; Multiplication of 
the loaves and fishes ; Our 
Saviour led away ; Moses 
striking the rock. 

6. Sarcophagus — Upper row : 

Multiplication of the loaves 
and fishes ; " Thou shalt 
deny me thrice ; Moses 
receiving the tables of the 
law ; Portraits of the occu- 
pants, in a circle ; Sacrifice 
of Abraham ; Restoration 
of sight to the blind ; The 
raising of Lazarus. Lower 
row : Susanna and the 
elders (?); Our Saviour led 
away; Genii of the Seasons; 
Daniel in the lions' den ; 
Miracle at the marriage at 
Cana ; The paralytic tak- 
ing up his bed ; Moses 
striking the rock. 

7. Sarcophagus — The Vintage, 

in the middle ; 'I he Good 
Shepherd, at each corner ; 
and on the ends, The 
Four Seasons. 

Above, on the wall : 
Our Saviour taken before 
Pilate ; Adoration of the 
Shepherds, with two asses' 
heads over the Infant 



189 

On the wall, above. 
The raising of Lazarus ; 
Multiplication of the 
loaves and fishes; Miracle 
at the marriage at Cana ; 
The occupant ; The woman 
touching our Saviour's 
garment ; Our Saviour led 
away ; Moses striking the 
rock. 

Jonah thrown into the sea ; 
Daniel in the lions' den ; 
The sacrifice of Abra- 
ham ; Jonah under the 
gourd. 



6. Sarcophagus — A pastoral 

scene, with a number of 
goats, bearing distinct 
traces of colour. On the 
left, The Good Shepherd; 
and on the right, The oc- 
cupant. 

Above, on the wajl. 
Elijah ascending to Heaven. 

Our Saviour before Caia- 
phas ; On the way to Cal- 
vary ; The Resurrection ; 
Our Saviour being taken 
before Pilate ; Pilate wash- 
ing his hands. 

7. Sarcophagus — On the end : 

Temptation of Adam and 
Eve. On the front (each 
subject is in a niche divided 
by columns) : The sacrifice 
of Abraham; Moses re- 
ceiving the tables of the 
law ; Restoration of sight 
to the blind ; " Thou shalt 
deny me thrice : " The 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Christ, who is swaddled 
like a mummy ; Baptism 
of our Lord ; The raising 
of Lazarus. 



Sarcophagus — Upper row : 
The raising of Lazarus ; 
Multiplication of the loaves 
and fishes ; Portraits of 
the occupants in a shell; 
The sacrifice of Abraham ; 
Restoration of shmt to the 
blind; " Thou shalt deny 
me thrice ;" Adam and 
Eve condemned to labour. 
Lower row : Moses taking 
his shoes from off his feet ; 
The woman touching our 
Saviour's garment ; The 
miracle at the marriage at 
Cana ; Jonah thrown into 
the sea ; Daniel in the 
lions' den ; -Our Saviour 
led away ; Moses striking 
the rock. 

Sarcophagus — Upper row : 
The raising of Lazarus ; 
" Thou shah deny me 
thiice ;" The restoration 
of sight to the blind ; 
Moses receiving the tables 
of the law ; Portraits of 
the occupants, in a shell ; 
The sacrifice of Abraham ; 
The raising of the widow's 
son ; Our Saviour teach- 
ing (the sermon on the 
mount ?). Lower row : 
Moses striking the rock; 
Our Saviour led away ; The 
rrhracle at the marriage at 
Cana ; The woman touch- 
ing our Saviour's garment ; 
Daniel in the lion's den; 
Multiplication of the 
loaves and fishes ; The 
paralytic taking up his 
bed. 



woman touching our 
Saviour's garment ; Mul- 
tiplication of the loaves 
and fishes ; Moses striking 
the rock. On the cover : 
Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abednego in the fiery fur- 
nace ; History of Jonah. 

8. Sarcophagus — The front is 

strigiled , with in the centre 
the prediction of the de- 
nial by St. Peter. On the 
cover : The temptation of 
Adam and Eve ; The oc- 
cupant, and the history of 
Jonah. 

On the wall, above. 

Multiplication of the 
loaves and fishes ; " Thou 
shalt deny me thrice ; " 
Our Saviour between St. 
Peter and St. Paul; The 
miracle of the marriage at 
Cana; The paralytic tak- 
ing up his bed. 

9. Sarcophagus, strigiled — At 

the left corner is a man 
fishing with a hook and 
line ; and, in the middle, 
The sacrifice of Abraham. 
The right corner is lost. 

On the wall, above. 

Portion of the cover of a 
sarcophagus, on the corner 
of which is a curious head 
(like the masks at the 
corners of the covers of 
Pagan sarcophagi) , with 
rays like the sun. The 
subjects are — The woman 
touching our Saviour's 
garment, and The Multi- 
plication of the loaves and 
fishes. 



The Christian Museum. 



191 



10. Sarcophagus, over which is 

a tabernacle, supported by 
two columns of Phrygian 
marble, with spiral flutes, 
to show the manner in 
which . sarcophagi, or 
tombs, were erected in the 
Atria, or Vestibules, of the 
primitive churches. On 
the front of the sarcopha- 
gus, in a kind of portico, 
supported by eight co- 
lumns, are three subjects: 
The sacrifice of Abraham ; 
Our Saviour surrounded 
by the Apostles ; and 
Pilate washing his hands. 
On the ends, in front of a 
curious background, re- 
presenting the buildings 
of a city, are : The predic- 
tion of the denial by St. 
Peter ; Moses striking the 
rock ; and The woman 
touching our Saviour's 
garment. Above, on the 
loali, is a fresco, copied 
from one in the Cata- 
combs ; and a slab, on 
'which two peacocks are 
represented, perched on a 
vase. 

11. Sarcophagus — Our Lord 

carrying His cross; Our 
Lord crowned with thorns; 
Our Lord being taken be- 
fore Pilate ; Pilate wash- 
ing his hands. In the 
centre is The Labarum, 
guarded by two soldiers. 



10. Sarcophagus of Sabinus — 
Moses striking the rock; 
Our Saviour led away ; 
The miracle at the mar- 
riage at Cana; The occu- 
pant; The restoration of 
sight to the blind; The 
multiplication of the 
loaves and fishes ; The 
raising of Lazarus. Upon 
the cover: The occupant, 
on the left; and a wild 
boar hunt on the right. 

Above, on the loall. 

The Good Shepherd ; and 
the defunct, between St. 
Peter and St. Paul. 

The entry of our Saviour 
into Jerusalem ; The Ee- 
surrection; Daniel in the 
lions' den ; The raising of 
Lazarus. 



11. Sarcophagus— Abel offering 
a lamb ; Our Saviour led 
away; Pilate and his wife. 
In the centre is the La- 
barum, guarded by two 
soldiers. 



On the wall, between the two small flights of steps, is a bas- 
relief, representing Elijah ascending to heaven, and leaving 
his mantle to Elisha ; and, on the landing above, is a seated 
statne of St. Hippolitus— the head is a restoration — found 
at St. Lorenzo, outside the walls. On the left side of the 
chair is engraved the Calendar, composed about a.d. 223, 



192 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



to regulate tlie date of Easter ; and on the right, a list of 
the works written by the Saint. 

Through the door to the left, we pass either directly 
onwards, into The Picture Gallery (see next page), or first 
turn to the left, into The Loggia, on the walls of which, a 
very remarkable and important collection of Christian 
Inscriptions, chiefly found in the Catacombs, has been 
classified by the Commendatore De Rossi. They are ar- 
ranged in a series of numbered compartments as follows : — 

I. and II — Public inscriptions relating to Christian worship. 

III. — Elegies of martyrs written in verse, by Pope Dahasus, 

and engraved by Filocalus. 

IV. — Epitaphs, bearing consular dates from the year 70 to 359- 
X.—Idem from the year 360 to 392. 

VI.— Idem from the year 392 to 409. 
VII. — Idem from the year 425 to 557. 
YLTL & IX. — Inscriptions concerning dogmas. 

X. — Epitaphs of Popes, Priests, Deacons, and other ministers 
of the Church. 

XI. — Epitaphs of virgins, widows, pilgrims, neophytes, cate- 
chumens, &e. 

XII. — Epitaphs of Illustrious men and women, soldiers, -arti- 

zans, and divers officials. 
XELI. — Epitaphs of relationship ; family, nation, and country. 
XTY. &XY. — Figures and symbols of Christian dogmas. The faces 
of St. Peter and St. Paul, Xo. 42, are curious. 
XYI. — Figures and symbols of arts, and civil and domestic occu- 
pations. 

XVII. — Epitaphs distinguished by singularity of form. 
XVIH. — Inscriptions painted on brick, in red and white, found 
in the Catacomb of Sta. Priscilla, on the Via Salaria 
Xuova. 

XIX. — Inscriptions found in the Catacomb of St. Pra&textatus, 

on the Appian Way. 
XX. — Inscriptions found in the Catacomb of St. Agnes, on 

the Via Xomentana. 
XXI. — Inscriptions found at Ostia. 

XXLI. — Inscriptions found in the Catacombs of the Vatican. 

XXIII. — Inscriptions found in the Catacomb of St. Cyriacus, at 

St. Lorenzo, outside the walls. 

XXIV. — Inscriptions found in the Catacomb of St. Pancratius, 

on the Janiculum. 
XXV. — Inscriptions found in the Jewish Catacombs. 



The Picture Gallery. 



193 



THE PICTUKE GALLEEY. 
First KooxM. 
Idem. 



This room and the next contain 
copies, the size of the origi- 
nals, from paintings found 
in the Catacombs. 
Commencing to the left. 

Painting on the vault of a chapel 
in the Catacomb of St. Cal- 
lixtus, with the Good Shep- 
herd in the centre. 

The Good Shepherd, from the 
Catacomb of S.S. Trason and 
Saturninus. 

Various subjects on one canvas, 
from the Catacomb of St. I 
Callixtus. 

Second Eoom 



Vault of a chapel, with the Good 
Shepherd, from the Cata- 
comb of St. Prcetextatus. 

Various renderings of the Adora- 
tion of the Magi, from the 
Catacombs of Sts. Callixtus ; 
Agnes ; Nereus &■ Achilleus ; 
and Peter <& Marcellinus. 

Susanna and the Elders [over the 
door), symbolised by a Lamb 
between two Wolves. 



Turn to the right. 
Painting on a side wall over an 
arcosolium with figures of 
the persons buried. The 
names — Zoe ; Eliodoro ; 
Progopi ; Nemiesi ; Diony- 
sas — beside each figure, 
with, " in pace" after each 
name. 

Our Saviour, with the Apostles. 



Our Saviour, St. Peter, St. Paul, 
and others, with the Lamb 
on a mound, from the Cata- 
comb of St. Peter and Mar- 
cellinus. 

Our Saviour, St. Urban, and St. 
Cecilia, from the Catacomb 
of St. Callixtus. 

Policamus, Sebastianus, and 
Curinus, from St. Callixtus. 



Third Eoom, 

Contains a number of frescoes of the fourteenth century, removed 
from the wall of a room in the Monastery attached to the Basilica of 
St. Agnes, outside the Porta Salaria ; and others, of the ninth 
century, representing the Prophets, and birds, brought from the 
crypt of St. jNiccolo in Carcere, which has been recently restored. 
Fourth Eoom. 

To the left. 
The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian 



cartoon by Julio Romano. 
Mosaic, hi separate squares, 
part of the pavement of a 
Trie lini um^i ound inthe Vigna 
Lupi, near the Porta San 
Paolo, on which are repre- 
sented the unswept frag- 
ments of a banquet, such as 
oyster shells, fragments of 
lettuce leaves, fish-bones, 
claws of crayfish, &c, be- 
lieved to be a copj' of the 
Asoratos (Ecos, by Sosus, 
mentioned by Pliny. 
0 



Mosaic. A series of Scenic 
Masks, with the name of the 
artist, Heraclitus, found on 
the Aventine. 

Mosaic, Egyptian chvinities and 
animals. 

The Incredulity of St. Thomas : 
Camuccini. 

The Descent from the Cross: 
Cartoon by Danielli da Vol- 
terra. 

Mosaic on the floor — found 
near the Sora Palace. 



194 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



Through the door on the right, we pass into the 
Fifth Eoom. 



Turn to the right. 
The Annunciation : Cav. d 1 Ar- 
pino. 

King George IV. of England: 
Sir Thomas Lawrence. Seut 
by His Majesty to Pius VII., 
in return for the portrait of 
himself the Pope had sent 
to the King, then Prince 
Kegent, on the occasion of 



the return of the works of 
art which Napoleon had 
taken away to Paris, and 
toward the expense of car- 
riage and re-placing of 
which the Prince had volun- 
tarily contributed 200,000 
francs. 

The Assumption of the Virgin : 
Guercino. 



Proceeding up a narrow staircase, we enter a kind of balcony in 

The Sixth Eoom, 

and look down upon the pavement, which is entirely formed by the 
ancient mosaics discovered in 1828, on the floors of the two large 
niches in the Palaestrae of the Baths of Caracalla. It consists of a 
number of figures and heads, evidently portraits, of celebrated 
athletes, wrestlers, boxers, and the like. On the right wali, are 
drawings showing the condition of the mosaics when found, and their 
position on the floors of the palaestrae. 

Beturning through the fourth room we enter 

The Seventh Eoom. 



Turn to the left. 
The Madonna and Child, with 
St. Laurence, St. John the 
Baptist, and St. Francis of 
Assisi, on the left, and St. 
Peter, St. Anthony, and St 
Thomas Aquinas, on the 
right : Marco Palmezzano di 
Forli. Signed and dated 
1537. 



Madonna and Saints : Carlo 

Crivelli, 1482. 
An Altar Piece. The Madonna 

giving her girdle to St. 

Thomas : Fra Angelico da 

Fi 'sole, with a Predella, by 

Benozzo Gozzoli. 
The Madonna and Child, with 

St. John the Baptist and St. 

Jerome: Marco Palmezzano. 



Eighth Eoom. 



Turn to the left. 

Portrait : Vandyke. 

The Madonna and Child : 
Carlo Crivelli, signed and 
dated 1482. 

Portrait of Sixtus V. when Car- 
dinal Montalto: Sassoferrato. 

Ninth 

Turn to the left. 
Baptism by immersion, accord- 
ing to the Greek rite: Pietro 
Nocchi, 1840. 



Tapestries made in the Hospital 
of St. Michael at Eome. 

Our Saviour and the Tribute 
Money : Michael Angelo da 
Caravaggio. 



Eoom. 

Assumption of the Virgin : Cola 
della Matrice, 1515. 

Holy Family : Andrea del. Sarto. 

The Entombment : Lombard 
School. 



The Picture Gallery. 



195 



Tenth Room. 

Baptism of Our Lord : Cesare da The Coronation of the Virgin; 

Sesto. on the sides, the donors with 

The Magdalen and St. Dorothea (?) 1 their patron saints : F Hippo 

Luca Signorelli. Lippi. 



The Annunciation : Franc ia. 
St. Lawrence and St. Benedict 
Luca Signorelli. 



Pagan Sacrifice: M. A. da 
Caravaggio. 



St. Jerome seated on a throne, 
and robed as a Cardinal : 
Giovanni Sanzio (the father 
of Raphael). 

Eleventh Room. 
Turn to the left. | An Altar Piece : Antonio da 

Muraiio, 146L 
The Supper at Emmaus : 11. A. 
da Caravaggio. 
Twelfth Room. 

The Martyrdom of St. Andrew : copy from Domenichino by Silvagni, 
1835/ 

Thirteenth Room, 

Called the Great Hall of the Council, frorn its replacing that in the 
old Palace, in which sat the five (Ecumenical Councils held in the 
Lateran. This room contains a number of statues and busts in terra 
cotta of North American Indians, modelled from life by Pettrich of 
Dresden. 

Leaving the Lateran Palace, vre turn the corner to the 
right, and see before us the building which contains 

THE SO ALA SANCTA, 

the Holy Staircase, of 28 steps of marble, believed, by devout 
Catholics, to be those ascended by our Saviour, on his way 
to the Judgment Hall in Pilate's house. They are said to 
have been brought from Jerusalem by St. Helena, the 
mother of Coustantine, a tradition which would seem to 
receive support from the fact, that they are formed of the 
veined white marble of Tyre. When Sixtus Y. threw down 
the ruins of the old Lateran Palace, in order to erect the 
present edifice, he had this staircase removed to where it now 
stands, in front of an ancient oratory, originally connected 
with the Lateran edifices, and then dedicated to St. Lau- 
rence. In it were preserved the more important relics 



196 



Tourist's Handbook to Bom,e. 



belonging to the Basilica, and Panciroli says, it was the 
private chapel of the Popes. In placing the staircase here 
in 1589, Sixtus had it enclosed, by Domewico Fontana, in a 
kind of portico — recently altered by Pius IX. — with five 
openings ; that in the centre, giving npon the holy stairs, 
and the others, on two flights of steps at each side, by which 
the faithfnl can return, after having made the ascent of 
the Holy Stairs on their knees — no one being permitted to 
walk up them — or up which people can walk to the oratory 
above. 

It was while Luther was ascending the Holy Stairs upon 
his knees, to gain the indulgence of nine days, for each 
stair, granted to those who perform the penance, that mid- 
way, struck by the reflection that " The just shall live by 
faith," he rose to his feet, and descending, left the place. 

The Oratory at the summit of the stairs is called the 
Sancta Sanctorum, from an epigraph on some stone boxes, 
in which the Pontiffs, Leo II., 682-84, and Leo IV., 847-55, 
deposited a quantity of relics. It is now chiefly venerated 
for a miraculous picture of our Saviour, said to be have 
been finished by supernatural hands, while St. Luke, who, 
with the assistance of the Virgin, had commenced it, slept. 
Women are not permitted to enter the Oratory, nor any 
men except the clergy. 

The groups of The JEcce Sumo, and The Kiss of Judas, on 
each side of the Holy Stairs, are by Giacometti. A very 
fine statue of our Lord bound to the column, by Mele, has 
just been placed at the left end of the vestibule, by order 
of H.H. Pius IX., by whom it was purchased from the 
sculptor, at the price of 30,000 fcs. 

For the Triclinum adjoining, on the right, see page 180. 
The lofty arches of ancient brickwork, on the left, are the 



Beyond the Later an. 



197 



remains of The Aqueduct of Nero, a branch from the 
Claudian, built by him, to supply the Imperial Palace with 
water. Its remains can be traced, from place to place, in a 
continuous line to where it crosses the valley between the 
Ccelian and the Palatine. We have already noticed (page 
172) two of its arches, as we stood on the steps of the side 
entrance to the Lateran, and, turning down the lane to the 
right, we shall see the Arcade continuing onwards through 
the grounds of The Yilla Wolkonsky, till it joins the 
Claudian Aqueduct at the Porta Maggiore. Above the 
arches, the Specus, or conduit for the water, is distinctly 
visible. 

BEYOND THE LATERAN. 

The view from the front of the Lateran, on a clear day, 
and particularly towards evening, is very fine. Immediately 
on the right are the ruins of the ancient Poeta Asinaria of 
Honorius, 393-403, with, a little further on, the modern 
Porta San Giovanni, built by Giacomo del I)uca for Gregory 
XIII., in 1574. The arches continuing onwards from it, 
form the inner arcade of the ancient wall of the city ; and 
the low continuous line of arches, somewhat more distant, 
at a right angle from the wall, belong to The Aqueduct op the 
Aqua Felice, built by Sixtus V. (see page 34). In the 
distance, in front are, The Sabine, and on the right, the 
Alban, Hills. 

The Church at the further end of the open space before 
ns is The Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. 

On our way to it, along the inside of the wall, we come 
to a great semicircular projection, the remains of 

THE AMPHITHEATEUM CASTEEXSE, 
which were incorporated into the wall of fortification by 



198 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Aurelian, and project on both sides. Very little is known 
regarding this small amphitheatre; but its name, and the 
style of its construction, prove that it was built for the 
amusement of the Praetorian Guard, at some period between 
the reigns of Tiberius and Nero. What remains on the 
outside of the wall is in a very fine state of preservation, 
and it is only through seeing it from thence, that a correct 
idea of its appearance can be formed. It is an ellipse 
measuring 300 feet by 250, and was surrounded by two 
tiers of arcades, formed by 48 arches, — built entirely of 
brick. The lower were ornamented with engaged columns 
and the upper with pilasters, both of the Corinthian order. 
A few steps further brings us to 

THE BASILICA OF SANTA GEOGE IN GEBUSALEXQIE. 

It was founded by Constantine, about the year 330, within 
the precincts of the Sessorian Palace, the residence of his 
mother St. Helena, in honor of the Cross, sent by her 
from Jerusalem, a large fragment of which is said to be 
still preserved within it. Interesting as this Church is 
through its historical associations, it has, like all the 
Constantinian Basilicas, undergone so many vicissitudes 
and changes, that nothing of its primitive appearance 
remains, and but little of its original construction. In 
1144, it was rebuilt by Lucius II., who exactly reversed 
the direction of its front, and, in 1 744, under Benedict XIV., 
it was entirely modernized and a new facade built by 
Pieiro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini, some of the 
columns dividing the aisles from the nave, being enclosed 
within pilasters, after the fashion of St. John Lateran. 

The fresco, recently restored, on the wall of the apse, 
representing the incidents of the discovery of the Cross, 



The Basilica of Santa Croce. 



199 



though attributed to Pinturicchio, is in all probability the 
work of his scholar, Benedetto Buonjiglio. 

The high altar is supported upon an' ancient bath of 
ferruginous coloured basalt, with lions' heads, containing 
the relics of Saints Cesarius and Anastatius, and above it is 
a baldacchino, supported on four beautiful little columns, 
two of Breccia-corallina, and two of Porta Santa. 

We descend by the left side of the tribune, into a portion 
of the primitive edifice called the Chapel of St. Helena, the 
floor of which is said to rest on a quantity of earth sent 
from Jerusalem. The vaulting is covered with mosaic 
work of the 11th century, restored in the 16th, it is 
believed by Baldassare Peruzzi. In this Chapel — into 
which women are not permitted to enter — a number of 
important relics are preserved, and among others, a small 
wooden panel, said to be the veritable " Title " placed 
upon the Cross. 

It is related that in 1492, some workmen engaged in 
making repairs, discovered a closed niche at the summit of 
the apse, with above, the words Titulas Cruris in mosaic 
letters, which had become almost illegible. Within the 
niche they found a leaden box, hermetically sealed, contain- 
ing a small panel bearing the inscription, Jesus Nazarenus 
Bex Judeorum. 

Within the vineyard of the Cistercian Monastery attached 
to the Church, considerable remains of the Sessorian 
Palace are visible. It is believed to have been built by 
Heliogabalus. The rain is popularly known by the name 
of the Temple of Venus and Cupid. 

Passing onwards along the lane, we come to some grand 
remains of the Aqueduct of Nlro, under which it passes, 
and of which we have already seen portions near the Lateran. 



200 Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



The arches are in a very fine state of preservation, and are 
remarkable as showing the wonderful state of perfec- 
tion to which building with brick had attained in the time 
of Nero. 

Turning to the right, we have before us 

THE POET A MAGGIOKB, 

in reality two arches of the great Claudian Aqueduct, 
which, like the Amphitheatre Castrense, and other edifices, 
were incorporated into the wall of fortification, and made 
to serve the purpose of a gate, or rather, in fact, of two 
gates. That on the right, as we leave the city, was called 
the Porta Prcenestina, and that on the left the Porta 
Labica.na, from the two roads which leave Rome at this 
point, and on which they respectively open. 

On the attic are three inscriptions. The upper, of four 
lines, relates to Claudius, in whose reign the Aqueduct, 
commenced by Caligula, was completed : that, of three 
lines, in the middle, relates to Titas ; and the lowest of 
four lines, to Vespasian, who restored the Aqueduct. It 
brought in a supply of water from two different sources, 
and by turning somewhat to the left, after passing through 
the gate, we shall obtain a view of the section of the attic 
and of the two great conduits along which the waters 
flowed; the lower being that of Claudian, the upper, that 
of Anio Novus. 

A few yards from the gate, on the same side, i.e., the 
right, looking towards it, we shall see the remains of an 
arcade which carried three other aqueducts, and intersected 
the wall at right angles. Nothing is left but the mere 
section of a pier, flush with the wall, and above it, sections 



Tomb of the Baker Eurysaces. 



201 



of the three channels, or conduits, of — counting from below 
— the Marcian, Tepulan, and Julian waters. 

The square ruin directly in front of the gate is the 
remains of The Tomb of the Baker, Eurysaces, and Atistia, 
his wife, discovered in 1838, through the demolition of a 
tower of fortification, built by Honorius in front of the 
archway on the right, and in which it had been incor- 
porated. 

The form of the monument is exceedingly curious, and 
from the hollow cylinders of travertine placed endways, 
of which it is formed, it is supposed that the worthy baker 
desired to imitate one of the arks, or receptacles for bread 
called panarii — bread baskets, in fact — in which the 
Romans kept their family supply. They were perforated 
at the sides and covered on the top, in order to allow the 
bread to cool slowly. 

On the frieze above are sculptured — also in travertine — 
the various operations of the baker's trade. From the 
material employed, and the archaic spelling in the inscrip- 
tion, it evidently belongs to the republican period : in all 
probability to the commencement of the century before 
Christ. There were no bakers in Rome anterior to 173 
B.C. 

A little to the left of the gate, as we look towards it, 
the Claudian Aqueduct turns at right angles, and forms 
part of the wall of the city, the arches being filled in. 
Following its line for a short distance, we turn to the right 
under one of the arches which has been left open, and con- 
tinuing along the walls, re-enter the city by the Porta 
San Giovanni Laterano (see page 197), passing on the way 
the external portion of The Amphitheatrdm Oastrensb 
(seepage 197), and parts of other edifices incorporated at 



202 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



the same time into the straight line of the walls. Of some 
of these the doors and windows are distinctly visible. 

THE CCELIAN" HILL* 

Re-entering the city by the Porta San Giovanni, we pass 
round the Lateran Palace as far as the opening of the Via 
San Giovanni Laterano, which leads to the Colosseum. To 
the left there is a narrow lane, along which our road lies. 
At a short distance it bifurcates, and we must first continue 
along the lane to the right as far as 

THE CHUKCH OF THE QUATTEO COEONATI, 

and thence returning follow that on the left. We enter 
this quaint old Church through the gateway of the half 
palace, half fortress of the middle ages, within the precincts 
of which it stands. Though entirely rebuilt, by Paschal 
II., 1099-1118, and restored throughput, in the time of 
Martin V., 1417-31, it retains much of its original character- 
istics. The six columns of plain and fluted shafts, and 
different materials, on the right, and the double range before 
us, as we traverse the second court-yard before reaching the 
door, are vestiges of the Atrium and Isarthex of the primi- 
tive building. The aisles are divided from the nave by four 
granite columns on each side, standing on bases far too 
large for them, and above the aisles are clerestories. Any 
epigraphist fond of deciphering impossible inscriptions, will 
find ample employment in studying the pavement which is 
in great part formed of sepulchral slabs, both pagan and 

* Instead of folio-wing the route laid down, it may be taken in exactly the contrary 
direction. Passing through the Arch of Constantine, from the Forum, or from the 
Colosseum, we shall find the Church of San Geegoeio on the left, standing on the 
summit of a flight of steps, and after visiting it, proceed up the ascent, to the right as 
■we leave it. 



Church of the Quattro Goronati. 



203 



christian, taken from other places. Worked into the pave- 
ment of the tribune, are some good bits of Opus Alex- 
andrinum and Gosmati work. The latter, in all probability, 
belonged to the old altar. 

The frescoes on the wall and vanlt of the tribnne, charac- 
terised by vigorons drawing and brilliant colouring, are the 
work of Giovanni Mannozzi, called Giovanni cle S. Giovanni. 
They represent the martyrdom and glorification of "the four 
crowned Painters, and five martyred Sculptors," to whom 
the church is dedicated. The painters are called crowned, 
from the manner of their martyrdom. Iron circlets, armed 
with points, were driven down upon their temples. 

The original Church, said to have been built by Pope 
Melchiades, 310-14, was destroyed when Robert Guiscard 
took Rome in 1084, for it was at this fortress that the 
soldiers of the anti-Pope Clement made their last stand. 
The conclave for the election of Popes Leo IV., 847-55, and 
Stephen VI., 896-97, met within it. The door at the farther 
right hand corner, from the entrance of the first court-yard, 
leads into a chapel dedicated to St. Sylvester, in which are 
some very interesting frescoes of the eighth century, illus- 
trating events in the life of Constantine. 

We now retrace our steps to the bifurcation, and turn to 
the right, along the lane we first entered. It is skirted 
throughout the entire length, first on the right and then on 
the left, by continuous fragments of The Aqueduct of 
Nero ; the same, of which we have seen portions, over the 
Osteria del Cocchio, by the side of the Scala Sancta; and at 
the Porta Maggiore, from whence, in fact, its course can 
be traced direct to the Palatine. 

After proceeding a short distance, we reach 



204 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



THE CHURCH OF ST. STEFANO ROTONDO, 

a circular edifice, on the left, standing back somewhat from 
the lane. 

Before us is a little portico, but the doors-of the Church 
are closed, and we enter by one on the right, and passing 
through a small court-yard, with a picturesque mediaeval 
well-head in the middle, find ourselves in an edifice, 198 
feet in diameter, which bears no resemblance to any other 
Christian Church. It is an open space, surrounded by an 
interminable circular wall, covered with paintings of the 
most fearful martyrdoms, and in the area, " a perfect forest " 
of columns. In the middle, are two of great height, sup- 
porting the centre of the roof, with around them, a double 
circle of fifty-six of smaller size, — twenty in the inner, and 
thirty-six in the outer, range. Up to the time of Nicholas 
V., 1447-65, there was, where the outer wall now stands, a 
third range of columns, the original wall being at a distance 
from them, equal to that between the present wall and what 
is now the outer range. It is evidently an ancient edifice, 
dedicated at an early period to christian worship, but 
nothing is positively known of the purpose for which it was 
originally built. The archaeologists of the fifteenth century 
say it was a temple of Faunus, but there seems more probable 
reason for believing that it was The Macellum Magnum, 
the great meat market, known to have been built by Nero, 
on the Ccelian. 

It is believed to have been dedicated by Pope Semplicius 5 
498-83, and there is positive mention of a Marcellus, titular 
of St. Stefano al Monte Coelio, as it was anciently called, 
sitting in the council held by Pope Symmacus, 498-514. 
In the middle ages, it was one of the most richly ornamented 



Church of Santa Maria in Dominica. 



205 



churches in Rome ; the walls were panelled with the rarest 
marbles, and the vaultings encrusted with brilliantly 
coloured mosaic. But early in the fifteenth century, the 
roof was destroyed, and it remained some time in a neg- 
lected condition, until Nicholas V. restored (?) it, by taking 
down the original wall with its panelling of variegated 
marbles, restricting the building in size, and reducing it 
to the condition we see. 

The paintings on the walls, by Pomarancio, represent, with 
most horrible reality, the fearful tortures inflicted upon 
the martyrs, from the time of Herod, to Julian the Apostate. 
The series commences, on the left as we enter, with the 
Massacre of the Innocents ; then The Crucifixion ; next 
The Stoning of St. Stephen ; and so on in chronological 
order, depicts the sufferings of the Confessors of the Faith. 
The pictures of the Martyrdom of Saints Primus and 
Felicianus, inside the chapel dedicated to them, and the 
Massacre of the Innocents, and, Our Lady of Sorrows, 
outside, were painted by Temjpesta. The landscapes are by 
Matteo da Siena. The tabernacle of bizarre design, in the 
middle of the church, was made by a Swedish baker ! as 
an offering to the Jesuit directors of the German College, 
to whom the Church belongs. 

A little further on, the lane opens into a wide piazza 
to the left, on the right side of which is 

THE CHUKCH OF SANTA MARIA IN DOMINICA, 

sometimes called Sta. Maria delta Navicella, from the 
marble galley in front of the portico, a copy, made in the 
time of Leo X., from an antique original which occupied the 
same position. The Church dates from the time of Sta. 
Cyriaca, a pious Roman widow, who suffered martyrdom 



206 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



under the Emperor Valerianus, 253-60. It was originally 
part of her house, which she had devoted to the use of her 
Christian "brethren. In 817 it was entirely rebuilt by 
Paschal L, who ornamented the apse with the mosaic still 
existing. At the beginning of the sixteenth century it was 
in great part rebuilt by Leo X., then Cardinal titular of the 
Church. Brarnante, and afterwards Raphael, were the 
architects, and finally the facade and portico were com- 
pleted by Michael Angela. The frieze in chiaro-scuro was 
painted by Pierino del Vaga, from the designs of Giulio 
Romano. 

Turning to tbe left, on leaving this Church, and con- 
tinning to the left, we pass under The Aech of Dolabella ; 
an arch of transit, of which nothing is positively known 
beyond the fact, that it bears an inscription to the effect, 
that it was erected during the Consulate of Publius 
Cornelius Dolabella. and Cuius Junius Silanus, a.l. 10, 
and that, as we see, it was incorporated into the Xeronian 
Aqueduct,* 

On the left, before passing under the archway, is the 
door of the abandoned Church of the Redemptorists — an 
order formed for the emancipation of Christians carried 
off into slavery — called S. ToMMASO EN Foemis, from its 
opening from one of the arches of the Aqueduct. 

Above the door, is a curious mosaic, representing a Vision 
seen by Innocent III. of an angel between two slaves, by 
Jacobus Cosmati, whose name, and the date, 1260, are in- 
scribed on the arch. 

A little further on we come to 

* It will be observed, that here the line of the Aqueduct bends at a sharp angle 
and then continues on. These angular breaks in the direct line — vide the Claud iart 
Aqueduct at the Porta Maggiore, and also on the Campagna, at the Porta Furba, and 
other places — were purposely made to check the force of the stream flowing through 
the specus. 



Church of San Giovanni e Paolo. 



207 



THE CHUECH OF SAN GIOVANNI E PAOLO, 

built in the fourth century by St. Pammachius, on the site 
of the house and martyrdom of these Saints. They were 
officers of distinction who held important posts in the 
household of Constantia, the daughter of Constantine, and 
suffered under Julian the Apostate, 361-63. Notwith- 
standing its antiquity, this Church has been so much 
changed and modernised, that it presents little of interest 
beyond the ancient portico with its quaint cornice of 
brickwork, and the exterior of the apse with its picturesque 
gallery formed of small arches, divided by miniature 
columns. 

The Church originally fronted in exactly the contrary 
direction. 

Towards the middle of the nave, to the right, is a raised 
slab, enclosed in a railing, said to mark the spot where the 
Saints were decapitated. It bears the inscription, Locus 
martyrii 8.S. Joannis et Paoli in cedibus propriis. 

Immediately within a wooden gateway — which the 
sacristan will open — between the Church and the campanile 
of the Passionist Convent, are the remains of a massive 
portico of the Imperial period, built of travertine, within 
which are extensive caverns, ancient stone quarries, 
supposed to be The Vivarium, where the wild animals, for 
the supply of the neighbouring Colosseum, were kept. 
These quarries are well worth examining, but it is not safe 
to go far into them without torches, on account of the deep 
water. The Portico is supposed by some to be the remains 
of The Temple of Claudius. 

Continuing down the incline, commonly called The 
Cliyus of Scaueus, and passing under the arched but- 



208 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



tresses built to support the side of San Giovanni and 
Paolo, we see on the left 

THE CHUECH OF SAN GEEGOEIO, 

standing on the summit of a flight of thirty-two steps. 
What appears to be the facade is one of those architec- 
tural vagaries which characterise the works of the Roman 
architects of the 17th century. It is nothing more than a 
sham front, built before the Atrium, and at some distance 
from the Church itself. On this site stood, the paternal man- 
sion* of Saint Gregory the Great, 500-604, a large portion of 
which he converted into a monastery, and built a Church in 
connection with it, dedicated to St. Andrew. After his death 
the monks deserted both the monastery and Church, but in 
the eighth century St. Gregory II., 715-31, brought them 
back to it, and rebuilt the Church, dedicating it to his 
sainted predecessor. Of the ancient edifice nothing re- 
mains but the plan. In 1633, the sham front and steps 
were constructed by Gio. Battista Soria, and in 1725 the 
entire Church and Atrium were rebuilt by Giuseppe 
Serratini and Francesco Ferrari. Finally, it was restored and 
redecorated in the time of the late Pope, Gregory XVI., by 
Cardinal Zurla, the General of the Camalclolese Order, to 
which the Church and Monastery were transferred in 1573. 

The altar of the chapel at the end of the right aisle is 
ornamented with three beautiful bas-reliefs of the fifteenth 
century : that in the centre represents the miracle of St. 
Gregory, the Host bleeding in his hands to convince an 
unbeliever; and the others, the masses performed by him for 
the liberation of souls from purgatory. The nude figure of 

* The ruins of an edifice, built in that mode of construction called the work of the 
Decadence, visible in the vineyard on the left, are believed to be the remains of St. 
Gregory's house. 



The Church of San Gregorio. 



209 



a man rising with his hands joined in prayer is supposed 
to be intended for the Emperor Trajan. Above the altar 
is a painting of St. Gregory, by Sesto Badalocchi, a scholar 
of Annibale Caracci's. A door on the right leads into a 
small Chapel, reputed to be the monastic cell of St. 
Gregory. An inscription marks the situation of his bed, 
and the marble chair is supposed to have been his epis- 
copal throne. Behind a grating are a number of relics. 

Above the high altar is a fine painting of St. Andrew, by 
Antonio Balestra. 

A door in the wall of the left aisle leads into the Salviati 
Chapel, in which there is an exceedingly fine marble 
Ciborium of fifteenth century work, dated 1469. 

On the walls of the Atrium are a number of monu- 
ments, among which are several erected to English Catholics 
of the sixteenth century. One to Sir Edmund Carne 
(written Garno) — erected by Galfridus Vachanus (Vaughan) 
and Thomas Fremannus — who acted, together with Cranmer, 
on the famous commission, appointed by Henry VIII. to 
take the opinion of the foreign universities as to the 
validity of his marriage with Catherine. He was afterwards 
ambassador to Charles V. ; then envoy to Rome, and finally 
died here in 1561. Another monument is that of Robert 
Pecham, who died in 1569, erected by Thomas Goldwell 
and Thomas Kir ton. 

Detached from the Church on the left are Three Chapels, 

said to have been erected by St. Gregory, but restored 

in the sixteenth century, as we see them, by the celebrated 

Cardinal Baronius. That on the right is dedicated to St. 

Sylvia, the mother of St. Gregory. Over the altar is a 

statue of the saint by Niccolo Cordieri, a pupil of Michael 
P 



210 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Angelo's, and on the vault a fresco by Gkiido, of the Almighty, 
with angels below playing on musical instruments. 

The middle Chapel is dedicated to St. Andrew, and is 
celebrated through the frescoes painted on the walls. On 
the right, The Flagellation of St. Andrew, by Domenichino, 
and on the left St. Andrew adoring the cross on which he 
was about to suffer, by Guido. Unfortunately, they are 
both much damaged, and particularly the Flagellation, 
which was restored by Carlo Maratta. 

The Chapel on the left, dedicated to Sta. Barbara, is 
called the Triclinium Pauperum, from the marble slab 
preserved in it, said to have been the table at which St. 
Gregory daily fed twelve poor pilgrims. On one occasion, 
thirteen sat down, the additional guest proving, it is said, 
to be an angel. The statue of St. Gregory in this chapel 
is by Niccolo Cordieri. 

From the summit of the steps leading up to the church 
there is a fine view of the south east side of the Palatine, 
covered by the ruins of the Palace of the Csesars ; and of 
a magnificent fragment of the Aqueduct of Nero stretching 
across the valley between the Coelian, on which we stand, 
and the Palatine, before us. Descending from the church 
to the road at the bottom of the valley, and turning to the 
left, we can continue our course as below. 

FROM THE FORUM TO THE BATHS OF CARA- 
CALLA AND THE APPIAN WAY* 

Those triumphal processions, which entered the city from 
the south, traversed the three celebrated ways, the Via 

* This section may be taken up, either from the Forum, as headed, or after the 
Palace of the Ciesars, or the Colosseum, or direct from the Church of St. Gregory, where 
the last section ends. 



The Appian Way. 



211 



Appia, the Via Triumphalis, and the Via Sacra, and we 
shall now follow the line in the contrary direction. We 
see the Via Sacra dividing the Forum along its length, 
from the base of the Capitoline Hill to the Temple of 
Castor and Pollux. There it turns to the left, in front of 
the Temple of the Deified Julius, and then turning to the 
right in front of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, 
continued on past the Temple of Romulus, now the Church 
of S.S. Cosma and Damiano, to the Basilica of Constan- 
tine, from whence, winding up the ascent of the Velia, it 
terminated — according to the course we are following — at 
The Arch of Titus. Passing under the arch we enter 
the Via Triumphalis, which followed the descent towards 
the Colosseum, and passing under the Arch of Constantly e 
led between the Ccelian and Palatine Hills, past the Church 
of St. Gregory, till it reached the southern corner of the 
Palatine. Here it turned to the left (the first turning to 
the left after passing the Church of St. Gregory), and 
terminated at The Porta Capena, in the ancient circuit of 
the wall of Servius Tullius. At the distance of a few yards, 
after turning to the left, we reach the gate of a vineyard 
on the left. Beneath this spot the remains of the Servian 
"Wall are still existing, traversing the line of the modern 
road at right angles from the Ccelian towards the Aventine, 
and here The Appian Way commenced.* Just outside the 
Porta Capena stood the tomb of the unfortunate Horatia, 
and from this spot to the Alban Hills, and far beyond, the 
road was lined on each side with a series of magnificent 
sepulchral monuments, of which, with the exception of the 

* Although in general terras it may be sufficient to consider the gate of the vineyard 
as marking' the position of the Porta Capena, and the mode; n road, the line of the 
Appian Way, the ancient road in reality lay somewhat to the left, and th< actual site 
of the Porta Capena is just on the further side of the farm-house we see through 
the gate. 



212 



Tourist? s Handbook to Borne. 



Tomb of the Seipios, and the Columbaria in the Vigna 
Codini, nothing remains within the circuit of the Aurelian 
Wall, save, here and there, an almost unrecognisable frag- 
ment. The road, as far as the Gate of San Sebastian, is 
now called the Via di Porta Sax Sebastiano. 

In the vineyard behind the ropevralk. on the right, are 
the ruins of The Piscina Publica, the great reservoir, 
originally constructed by Appius Claudius, 312 B.C. 

On the summit of the elevation on the right, called the 
false Aventine, stands the fortress-like Church of Saxta 
Baleixa. reached by turning up the first lane to the right. 
According to tradition, this Church, originally dedicated to 
the Saviour, vras built by Pope St. Mark, 336-37, but we 
have no authentic record of its existence until the time of 
St. Gregory, 590-604. The monument of Stefano di 
Surdis is a fine example of Cosmati vrork, and bears the 
name of the master. The adjoining monastery has 
recently been converted into a reformatory for boys. 

The second lane on the right bears the name ~Via Axto- 
ntxa. Opposite to it, on the left, is the brook called The 
^Iarraxa, in ancient times The Wat ee of Mercury. Behind 
the angle formed by the Trail at this spot, we see a small 
brick edifice, within which is a copious spring of clear fresh 
water, The Fouxtaix of Egeeia. 

Turning up the Via Antonina, a narrow Trinding lane, we 
come to the magnificent ruins of 

THE BATHS OF CARACALLA, 

almost surpassing the Colosseum in grandeur, and scarcely 
inferior in interest to the Palace of the Caesars and the 
Forum, from the remarkable illustration they afford of the 
degree of luxury to which the Roman people had attained 



The Baths of Caracalla. 



213 



when this sumptuous establishment was opened in the year 
216 a.d. It covered an area measuring a quarter of a mile 
on each side, and consisted of a grand central edifice — that 
we are about to enter — measuring 750ft. in length by 500ft. 
in width, surrounded, on three sides, by gardens planted 
with trees and shady alleys, and ornamented with statues 
and fountains, and, on the fourth, by the extensive stadium; 
the whole being enclosed by an outer range of buildings, of 
which we see some lofty remains on the right. The inner 
edifice was devoted exclusively to the use of the bath ; the 
outer range was designed for intellectual purpos.es. It was 
divided into Libraries, Lecture-rooms, Halls for Philoso- 
phic disputation, Exedrae, where poets and authors could 
for the first time read in public their latest works, Picture 
Galleries, and great Halls, filled with masterpieces of 
sculpture ; with, on the south-west side, the great reservoir 
for the supply of the Baths, hidden behind the rising range 
of seats of an open air theatre, from whence the people 
could witness the athletic games in the Stadium. 

The manner of bathing was the same as that in the so- 
called Turkish Baths of the present day; the hot air bath, 
the warm water bath, and the cold water plunge bath. 
From Vitruvius especially, and from other authors, so much 
information has come down to us reo-arcling the manner of 
the bath, and the formation of the edifices devoted to it, 
that no difficulty was found in recognising the various 
parts among the ruins ; and the fuller light thrown on the 
subject, through the excavations carried out by the Italian 
Government since 1871, has proved the exactness of the 
accounts left us, and the accuracy with which they had 
been applied by archaeologists, who have too lightly been 
accused of amusing themselves by identifying the different 



214 Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



chambers. It seems almost impossible to believe, had we 
not the proof before us, that these lofty walls were panelled 
with the rarest marbles from end to end, and from floor 
to ceiling, and the vaults decorated with the richest mosaic. 
Before the excavations were commenced, the accumulation 
was full of glittering cubes of smalt, and on almost 
every wall we see fragments below and indications above, 
of the wealth of marble expended upon them. The 
niches in the walls were filled with statues and bas- 
reliefs, and many magnificent works of art have been 
discovered .during excavations made in past times. The 
celebrated Farnese Hercules ; the Farnese Flora ; and 
the magnificent group, called the Toro Farnese, were 
found here. The pavements — of which considerable 
portions, in a more or less fine state of preservation, 
have been uncovered — were formed of mosaic made of 
porphyry, serpentine, giallo antico, and other marbles, for 
the most part arranged in geometric designs, in scroll work, 
and like the scales of a fish ; but, in the two enormous niches 
of the Palsestree, on the one side and the other, they were 
composed of a series of portraits — some heads, some full 
length figures, of celebrated athletes. These pavements were 
discovered in 1828, and removed to the Lateran Museum 
(vide page 194), with the exception of some fragments 
which were overlooked, and are still to be seen on the 
floor of the great niche towards the south. In examining 
these Baths, which were capable of accommodating 1,600 
bathers, it should be borne in mind, that by the time of 
Constantine, they formed but one of eleven other establish- 
ments of the same kind, some of which were larger, others 
no doubt smaller in size. Those built by Diocletian gave 
accommodation to double the number of bathers. To 



The Church of S.S. Nereus and Achilleus. 215 

supply the Baths with water, Caracalla built a branch 
aqueduct from the Claudian, carrying the specus over the 
Arch of Drusus (vide page 219). Although opened to the 
public in 216, the outer range of buildings were not com- 
pleted till the time of Alexander Sever us, 222-35. 

Shelley narrates, in the preface to his " Prometheus Un- 
bound," that he wrote that poem " upon the mountainous 
ruins of the Baths of Caracalla." 

Returning to the Via San Sebastiano, and continuing 
onwards we reach, on the right, The Church of Saints 
Nereus and Achilleus, the martyred chamberlains of 
Flavia Domitilla. Until recently it has been supposed that 
this Church was originally founded about the year 425, on the 
site of an ancient Temple of Isis, and that falling to ruin in 
the eighth century, it was rebuilt by St. Leo III., 795-816. 
The recent discovery, however, of the Basilica of Santa 
Petronilla, where the remains of Nereus and Achilleus were 
interred, shows that some confusion had arisen between the 
church where those martyrs were buried, and this dedicated 
to them at a later period. All that we know with certainty 
is, that it was rebuilt by Sixtus IV., 1471-84 ; that it fell to 
ruin, remained desolate for some time, and was finally 
restored as we see it, in 1597, by the celebrated Cardinal 
Baronius, who evidently did all that was possible to pre- 
serve the ancient characteristics of the church, for he left an 
inscription praying his successors not to alter or remove 
any portion of them. The Church is interesting as being 
one of the few remaining examples of the internal arrange- 
ment anterior to the abolition of the simpler ritual of the 
earlier ages of Christianity ; and for the beautiful cosmati 
mosaic with which the choir is ornamented. At the back 
of the tribune is a marble episcopal throne, on which 



216 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Cardinal Barouius had a portion of St. Gregory's 28th 
Homily inscribed, in the belief, entertained until recently, 
that it was seated in this chair, within this church, where 
the remains of Saints Nereus and Achilleus now lie, that it 
was delivered by the sainted Pontiff. The ancient records, 
however, state that St. Gregory spoke it to the people in 
the cemetery of those martyrs, that is, in the Catacombs 
where their bodies were lying at the time when he lived ; 
and their remains were not removed to this church till 
much later. The recent discovery of the Basilica of Santa 
Petronilla (see page 225), within the Catacomb of Fiavia 
Domitilla, has restored to us the spot where the homily 
was delivered. 

A few steps further on, upon the same side, is the Gate to 
the YiGNA Guidi, which is situated in the area between the 
central edifice and the outer range of buildings of the Baths 
of Caracalla, and where, below the level of the platform, 
made by Caracalla for the Baths, very interesting Remains 
of a Roman House, of the second century, have been dis- 
covered. Considerable portions of the mosaic pavements of 
both the ground and first floor are still existing, and when 
the excavation was first opened, the walls were entirely 
covered with fresco paintings, of the most brilliant colours, 
which unfortunately are rapidly becoming obliterated. 

Immediately opposite is The Church and Monastery of 
St. Sisto Vecchio, originally built, at some period unknown 
anterior to the year 499, by a pious matron of the name of 
Trigida. It was first restored by Innocent III, 1198-1216, 
and given by the next Pope, Honorius III., to St. Dominick, 
who founded the Dominican order here ; again, in the time 
of Sixtus IV., 1471-84, when the facade was built by 
Baocio Pintelli; and lastly, by Benedict XIII., 1724-30. 



The Church of St. Ccsario. 



217 



A short distance further, on the right, stands The Church 
OF St. Cesaeio. Writers in past times, having confounded 
this church with the Oratory of St. Cesario, in the Lateran, 
the erroneous supposition has arisen that the Popes St. 
Sergius, 687-701, and Eugenius III., 1145-50, were elected 
here. There is no historical record of the church anterior 
to the 12th century, to which period the cosmati mosaics 
belong, with which the pulpit and altar are decorated. 
This Church and the Church of S.S. Nereus and Achilleus 
we have just passed, will be found especially worth visiting 
by all interested in this beautiful style of mosaic work. 
Having fallen into a ruinous condition, it was rebuilt in 
the form we see by Clement VIII., 1592-1605. The mosaic 
in the apse belongs to this period, and was made by 
Francesco Zucchi, from a design by the Cav. cVArpinu. 

The bifurcation of the road to the left shows where the 
once grand Via Latina, now a miserable lane, branched oft 
from the Via Appia. At the end of this lane, just inside 
the Porta Latina, now closed, is the ancient and almost 
deserted Church of San Giovanni a Porta Latina. The 
date of its foundation is not known. It was rebuilt by 
Adrian I., in 772; and in 1190 was restored throughout 
and reconsecrated by Celestine III., since when it has been 
partially restored at various periods, without any material 
alteration in its form. 

Opposite to it is a little octagonal Chapel, called San 
Giovanni in Olio, said to mark the spot were St. John 
the Evangelist was immersed in a caldron of boiling oil, 
from which he came forth as from a refreshing bath. 
The Chapel was restored in 1509, by a certain Benedict 
Adam, French auditor of the Rota, in the reign of Julius II. 
Continuing our way along the Via San Sebastiano, we 



218 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



reach, a small door in the wall on the left, with above it the 
words — 

SEPVLCHRA SCIPION1VM. 

Here, in the month of May. 1780, the tomb of the great 
family of the Scipios was discovered, in the form of a 
kind of catacomb, cut in the living rock. TTithin it were 
fonnd the sarcophagi of Scipio Barbatns, the great grand- 
father of Scipio Africanus, and various other members of 
the family, together with several inscriptions, and a bust 
sculptured in peperino, supposed to be a portrait of the poet 
Ennius. The sarcophagus of Scipio Barbatns, the separate 
inscriptions, and the bust of Ennius (?) were removed to 
the Vatican exactly as they were found. (See page 84). 
Erom the other sarcophagi, which were entirely unoma- 
mented, the inscriptions were sawn off, and, together with 
those on slabs, inserted into the wall around where the sarco- 
phagus now stands. The monument fronted on a cross 
road leading at this spot from the Appian to the Latin Way. 

A little further on. upon the same side, we reach another 
door in the wall with a flight of steps leading up to it, and 
above, the word 

COLOMBARIVM. 

This is the entrance to the Yigna Codini, where first one, 
as the title indicates, and then two other Columbaria were 
discovered in the year 1853, in a remarkably fine state of pre- 
servation. These monuments, or sepulchres, will be found 
exceedingly interesting, and particularly by the stranger 
unacquainted with the ancient method followed by the 
Romans in preserving the ashes of the dead. They were 
called Columbaria from the ranges of small semicircular 
niches, resembling dovecotes, wherein the ollce, or vases con- 



The Arch of Dvusus. 



219 



taining the ashes, were placed. Of this class of monument 
there were three kinds ; those built by private individuals, 
for the members of their family ; tho.se erected by persons 
of distinction or wealth, to receive the ashes of their freed- 
men ; and those made at the expense of associations, burial 
clubs in fact, formed by individuals whose means being 
insufficient to permit of their purchasing separate or family 
places of burial, subscribed together to erect a kind of 
joint-stock sepulchre, each receiving a number of pigeon 
holes, in proportion to the amount of his subscription. 
It is to this last named class that these three monuments in 
the Yigna Codini belong. Over each niche is a small marble 
slab bearing the names, ages, and sometimes the occupa- 
tion of the persons whose ashes rest within them, and 
from the inscriptions in these Columbaria, a great deal of 
interesting information has been obtained regarding what 
may be described as the committee of management and 
officers, by whom the affairs of these associations were man- 
aged. The first of these three monuments contains the ashes 
of persons who died during the reigns of the first Emperors, 
from Augustus to Nero. The second the ashes of freedmen of 
Tiberius, and of the Gens Pompeia. The third, of persons 
who died during the reigns from Augustus to Claudius. 
The custode never recognises the gratuity given as suffi- 
cient, and least so when it is ample. 

We now see before us The Aech of Drusus, or rather the 
ruins of a Triumphal Arch, believed to be that, erected on 
the Appian Way, to Drusus, the brother of the Emperor 
Tiberius, in the year 2 A J). It is a single archway, 
solidly built of travertine, once entirely faced with white 
marble, of which some portions remain, and had four 
columns of Numidian marble on each front, two of which 



220 Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



are standing in their places on the further side. Above 
this arch, Caracalla carried the conduit for the supply of 
water to his Baths, as can still be seen. 

Immediately beyond is the Porta Sa^ Sebastiano, built, 
it is supposed, by Belisarius; and here, according to the 
modern naming of the roads and streets, 

THE APPIAN WAY 

commences. We descend by what in ancient times was The 
Clivus of Maes, and pass, on the left, the site of the Temple 
and Field of Mars,* where victorious generals drew up 
their legions and waited the decree of the Senate to enter 
the city in triumph. After reaching the level, we cross, 
on the left, the little stream of The Almone, which 
bounded one side of this Campus Martius, and see before 
us the remains of The Tomb of Geta, the murdered brother 
of Caracalla, now a shapeless mass of concrete of enormous 
size, on which the guardian of the vineyard where it stands 
has perched his house. It is what the Romans call the 
ossatura, or bones of the monument, and of such ossaticrce 
we shall now see many examples of different sizes, on both 
sides of the road. Each of these was a magnificent monu- 
ment, externally faced with marble, ornamented with 
columns, and richly carved cornices, and often adorned 
with statues, but they have long been stripped to the 
inner construction of concrete, to supply materials for the 
modern city, whether to the architect or the lime-burner. 

A little further, on the right, behind a roadside wineshop, 
are the remains of the splendid tomb — described by 
Statius — erected by Abascantus, a favourite freedman of 

* This must not be confounded with the celebrated Campus Martius, on the north 
tide of the Capitoline. 



Church of Santa Maria clelle Piante. 



221 



Domitian's, to his wife Prtscilla. The ruin is surmounted 
by a rude circular tower, built some time during the middle 
ages. Nearly opposite is the little Church of Santa Maria 
delle Piante, commonly known as Domine Quo Vadis. 
According to the legends of the church, it was here that 
St. Peter, flying from Rome, met an apparition of our 
Saviour : " Domini quo vadis' f ' " Lord, where goest thou ?" 
asked Peter, " Venio Momam iterum crucifigi" " I go to 
Rome to be crucified again," was the reply. Peter under- 
stood the reproof, and returned to the city. The Church 
was built to commemorate this miraculous event, but 
according to Panvinms, 8 ever anus, and other authors, the 
exact spot is marked by the little circular chapel a few 
yards further on, and which on that account was restored 
by the English Cardinal, Reginald Pole, in 1536. The 
church is called Sante Maria delle Piante, from the im- 
pressions said to have been made by the feet of our Saviour 
on the stone where he stood, — that we see on the pavement 
of the church being a copy from what is said to be original 
stone, now preserved in the Church of St. Sebastian (see 
page 225). It is also called Santa Maria delle Palme, 
from the palms of martyrdom received by 4,000 ! Christians 
said to have been burnt to d«afch here in the time of the 
Emperor Hadrian. The Church .was rebuilt in 1610, and 
the facade renewed in 1637. The statue of our Saviour is 
a plaster cast from that by Michael Angelo, in the Church 
of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. 

At this spot the road bifurcates ; that on the left is 
the continuation of the Via Appia, that on the right 
is the Via Ardeatina, now called the Via della Madonna 
del Divin' Amore, and leads direct to the newly discovered 
Basilica of Santa Petronilla (see page 225). Continuing up 



222 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



the ascent we go some little distance along the road, till we 
find a small door in the wall on the right, with above it 
the words, Cemeterio di S. Callisto. It is the entrance to 

THE CATACOMB OP ST. CALLIXTUS. 

While waiting for the custode we have time to observe 
the remains of two Pagan monuments directly within the 
wall ; one is constructed of brickwork ; of the other, and 
originally the most important, somewhat to the right, 
nothing remains but a lofty slender mass of concrete. 

Beneath the whole of this district lies an extensive net- 
work of Christian Catacombs, extending on all sides, aud 
formed of two, three, and sometimes even four and five 
piani or galleries, one beneath the other, crossing and 
intersecting each other in every direction. It was for 
sometime supposed that there was a direct communication 
between all these Catacombs, that the names, in fact, were 
merely indications of the different localities in one bewil- 
dering labyrinth of galleries, but it is now found that they 
are separate and distinct. Stripped of their contents 
during past ages, from the mouldering bones of the dead, 
to every scrap of marble by which the bodies were en- 
closed in their long horizontal shelf-like resting places, the 
Catacombs revealed nothing, but an interminable series of 
weird tunnel-like galleries ; but within the last twenty 
years a fresh interest has sprung up in these last resting 
places of the early Christians. New explorations have 
been made, and through the labour and erudition of the 
celebrated Christian archaeologist, Giovanni Battista De 
Rossi, we can now see portions of the Catacombs, sufficiently 
uninjured to enable every one to form an idea of what 
they were, before they became the prey of the curiosity 



Catacomb of St. Callixtus. 223 

seeker and the relic monger. This Catacomb of St. 
Callixtus is especially interesting from the discovery, re- 
cently made, of a chamber or crypt wherein a number of 
the early Popes were buried. On the walls are the remains 
of fresco paintings, and enclosing four of the recesses are 
— though in a shattered condition — the marble slabs bearing 
the names in Greek of four martyred Popes — entitled 
simply Bishop and martyr — St. Anteros, 236 ; St. Fabianus, 
236-51 ; St. Lucius, 253-55 ; and St. Eutychianus. There 
is reason for believing that the other niches contained the 
bodies of St. Urbanus, 224-31. and of St. Sixtus II., 
martyred in 258. The crypt has also been discovered 
in which St. Cecilia was buried, and whence her remains 
were removed by Paschal I., in 820, to the Church dedi- 
cated to her, in the Trastevere. On its walls are 
several paintings ; a Roman lady richly attired, supposed 
to be St. Cecilia ; a large head of our Saviour, with the 
nimbus arranged like a Greek cross ; and figures of St. 
Urban, and three Saints, Polycamus, Sebastianus, and 
Cur inns. 

In addition to these, several cubicidi, or chapels as some 
call them, with the walls and ceilings covered with paint- 
ings, have been cleared of the earth with which they had 
been filled in. On entering this catacomb, the stranger may 
perhaps be disappointed by the newly-constructed look some 
parts have ; but the tufa rock, through which the galleries 
are cut, is of so friable a nature, that these restorations have 
been requisite to strengthen portions which had given way 
during the lapse of time. 

A little further, on the opposite side, we come to a modern 
castellated kind of house. Here 



224 Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



THE JEWISH CATACOMB 
is situated. It is particularly interesting from the circum- 
stance that, no reverence being attached to the relics of the 
persons buried here, the bones have been allowed to remain 
untouched, and consequently the place has all that evidence 
of reality the Christian Catacombs seem to want. The 
galleries are much wider and more lofty, and have more 
the appearance of having originally been a sand pit, than 
expressly cut for the purpose they were to serve, as the 
Christian Catacombs were. In every other respect they 
bear a strong resemblance to them. There are the same 
kind of chambers — cubiculi — opening off: from the galleries 
from place to place, and some are covered with very 
interesting fresco paintings. Among the many inscriptions 
found here, there has not been one of a Christian or Pagan 
character, and on several of those still in their places we 
recognise the seven-branch candlestick and other Jewish 
emblems. There is no evidence of the date beyond that 
afforded by one of the inscriptions, which bears the Con- 
sulate of Avienus, a.d. 502. 

A little further, on the right, we come to a lane called the 
Via dellb Sette Chiese, and immediately after it 

THE BASILICA AND CATACOMB OF SAINT SEBASTIAN. 

The history of this Church, anterior to the building of 
the actual edifice by Cardinal Scipio Borghese, in 1611, is 
involved in great uncertainty. According to some it was 
founded by St. Sylvester, 314-36 ; and rebuilt by St. 
Damasus 366-85. According to others it was founded by 
Innocent I., 401-17. It is only certain that a Basilica, 
dedicated to San Sebastian, existed in this vicinity from a 
very early period, and had been in a ruined condition for 



Basilica of St. S&bastian. 



225 



some time before Cardinal Borghese rebuilt it, either on the 
same spot or near where it originally stood. In the Chapel 
of St. Sebastian, on the left, is a fine recumbent statue of the 
saint, designed by Bernini and sculptured by Giorgetti. The 
relics of St. Sebastian repose under this altar. They had 
been removed from the Catacombs to St. Peter's, and were 
returned to this Basilica by Honorius III., in 1218, enclosed 
in a stone coffin, in which they still remain. 

In a Chapel opposite, a number of relics are preserved, 
and are shown to visitors by one of the monks, after he 
has duly lighted the candles. There is the stone with the 
impress of the Saviour's feet, removed here from the Church 
of JDomine quo Vadis ; an arm of. St. Sebastian and one of 
the arrows with which he was shot ; an arm of St. Andrew 
the Apostle ; the head of St. Callixtus ; and many others. 
A door, on the left of the Chapel of St. Sebastian, leads 
down into the Catacomb. In its general aspect it is more 
impressive than that of St. Callixtus, and from the almost 
entire absence of restoration, conveys at " first sight a more 
distinct idea of what the Catacombs were. About midway 
in the circuit visitors make, there is a long stairway leading- 
down to a second and third tier, well worth descending. 

Before continuing our route along the Appian Way, we 
might proceed a few hundred yards along the adjacent Via 
dclle Sette Chiese, already mentioned, and visit the newly 
discovered 

BASILICA OF SAINT PETEONILLA. 

Signor de Rossi, in the course of his explorations in the 
Catacomb of Flavia Domitilla, the niece of the Emperor 
Vespasian, made his way into what at the time, now 
nearly 20 years ago, appeared to be a crypt of more than 
Q 



226 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



usual importance. Two marble columns and some sarco- 
phagi, richly carved, were found, but unfortunately at this 

moment, before the nature of the discovery could be ascer- 
tained, an accident happened; the earth above gave way 
and the works had to be suspended, and through various 
impediments were not resumed till 1873. In the month of 
November Signor Do Rossi recommenced the excavation, 
and speedily found that what he had supposed to be an 
important crypt, was in reality a Basilica, built down 
on the floor of the second of the three ranges of galleries 
of which this Catacomb is formed. The outer walls 
are complete to a considerable height; the bases of the 
columns which divided the aisles from the nave are in their 
places, the majority of the calumns lying prone from 
them ; and the foundations of the choir and anibones, 
situated like those of St. Clemente, distinctly recog- 
nisable. It is evident, however, that at some period the 
Church was abandoned, for, with the exception of the 
columns, all the marble decoration had been remcved, and 
through the apertures in the denuded floor a number of 
marble sarcophagi are visible where they were originally 
placed; and through where tbe floor has further given 
way, we look clown into the lowest of the three galleries 
into which the Catacomb was divided. 

Ia the coarse of the excavations, some fragments -of an 
enormous slab of marble, bearing portions of an inscription,, 
cut in the well-known Damascene characters, were dis- 
covered. Reference to the copies, handed down to us by 
the pilgrims of the sixth and seventh centuries, of the many 
inscriptions placed by Pope Damasus in the Catacombs, at 
once verified these fragments as part of those relating to the 
martyrs Nereus and Achilleus, and identified the Basilica 



Basilica of St. PetroniUa. 



227 



as that dedicated to Santa PetroniUa; a Basilica of which 
so shadowy a record remained, that its having had an 
existence was looked upon as a fable. This discovery has 
removed many uncertainties regarding the Basilica dedi- 
cated to Saints Nereus and Achillens inside the walls; and 
establishes the fact, that it was from his episcopal chair, 
placed in the apse before us, that St. Gregory delivered his 
28th Homily. 

Returning to the Appian Way, we next pass on the left 
the remains of a circular edifice — in front of which a 
modern house, now deserted, has been built — standing in 
a large quadrangular area surrounded by a ruined portico. 
This is supposed by some to have been the Temple, but was 
more probably The Tomb, of Romulus, the son of Maxentius. 
A few steps further, and we see the extensive ruins of 

THE CIRCUS OF ROMULUS 

stretching along the valley. This was the last built and the 
smallest in size of the nine Circuses Rome contained. It was 
built by Maxentius, about the year 31 1 a.d., and dedicated 
by him to his son Romulus, then recently deceased and 
deified. The inscription of dedication, found in fragments 
during the excavations made in 1825, has been placed within 
the arch of the triumphal gateway at the further end. 

These remaius are especially interesting, from the circum- 
stance, that ruined as they are, sufficient is left to illustrate 
and show the construction of every component part of the 
Roman Circus; the general plan, the gates, the arrangement 
of the seats, the spina dividing the arena along its length 
to form the course, the carceres, from whence the chariots 
started, the magisterial tribune, the Emperor's pulvinar, 
and, in fact, every detail. The arena measures 1,620 feet 



228 



Tour is fs Handbook to Rome. 



in length, by from 240 to 250 in width, varying according 
to the divergence of the outer walls at the Metce. The spina 
is 1,000 feet in length, and the seats were capable of ac- 
commodating 15,000 spectators. The obelisk, which stood 
on the centre of the spina, was removed by Innocent X., in 
1650, to ornament Bernini's fountain in the Piazza Jsavona. 
On the summit of the ascent before ns stands 

THE TOMB OF CJE CILIA METELLA, 

the " stern round tower of other days," so magnificently 
described by Byron. It is only necessary to look at this, in 
order to form a sufficiently correct idea of what the monu- 
ments along the Appian Way were like. Large as it is, 
there were many of more colossal dimensions, and very many 
equal to it in size: and in point of decoration the many 
architectural fragments lying further on along the road, 
give sufficient evidence that it was far from being one of 
the most magnificent. A mere glance at the further 
side, where the fractured wall reveals the concrete core 
within, will show the condition to which this monument 
would be reduced if the outer casing of travertine were 
stripped away, and the exact resemblance it would then bear 
to the concrete masses we have passed. It was erected to 
c mtain the body of Cecilia, the wife of Crassus, and 
daughter of Quintus Metellus, surnamed Creticus, from his 
conquest of Crete B.C. 86 : but whether she was the wife of 
the wealthy Crassus, who perished in Parthia, or the wife 
of his son : whether, as Byron asks, " she died in youth" or 
" with the silver grey on her long tresses," nothing remains 
to tell. We owe its preservation to its having, in the be- 
a-innino- of the fourteenth century, been converted into the 
stronghold of the GtAETAKI Fortress, by which that family 



Church of St. Nicholas of Ban. 229 



dominated the Appian Way, levied black mail on all 
travellers and traffic, and led to its abandonment as a public 
road. The walls of the house and the fortifications of the 
Gaetani are still standing, and within these the picturesque 
ruin of the Gothic Church of St. Nicholas of Bart, 
curiously suggestive of the convenience of an arrangement 
by which the victim could be shriven, and the slayer ab- 
solved, without unnecessary loss of time. 

From a short distance beyond this point, we can look 
along the road stretching in a direct line to the Alban Hills, 
and intersecting the declivity like a white ribbon ; and from 
thence we shall find frequent remains of sepulchral monu- 
ments, until, after passing a kind of tollgate, the ruins 
continue in unbroken succession on each side of the way. 
There are masses of concrete varying in size and formation, 
remains of brick tombs, with delicately- wrought mouldings 
and capitals of terra cotta ; ground plans, as it were, of monu- 
ments, of which the walls have been razed to the very 
foundations ; and piles of brick and stone where others 
stood. A mantle of vegetation is spread over the whole, 
and reveals here and there broken capitals, masses of richly 
carved cornices, fragments of statues, and fractured inscrip- 
tions, for archaeologists to glean, where builders and lime 
burners have reaped a harvest of spoil. 

Passing many unrecognised remains, or of which the 
inscriptions found relate to persons unknown to history, we 
come to a brick wall on the left, built for the purpose of 
preserving the architectural fragments encased in it. On 
the upper part, in front, is a long bas-relief illustrating the 
story of Atys and Adrastos, and on the side a mutilated 
bust. These are the remains of 



230 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



THE TOMB OF J3ENECA ; 

and behind stood the villa, where he -was at supper, when 
the Tribune arrived with Nero's command that he should 
commit suicide. 

On the same side, after passing the concrete core of a 
large circular monument — unknown — we come to the ruins 
of The Temple of Joye, where Valerian, the husband, and 
Tiburtius, the brother, of St. Cecilia, and other Christians, 
suffered martyrdom. 

On the right are the remains of the monuments of 
Plinius Eutychus, erected by Caius Plinius Zosimus, the 
favourite freedman of Pliny, the younger ; of a certain 
Caius Licinius ; of a certain Hilarius Fuscus, with a marble 
slab containing five portraits; of the family of The 
Secundini ; of Eabirius Hermodorus, Babirta Demaris, and 
Usia Prima, a priestess of Isis, with their portraits in one 
slab ; and others. 

Passing these, we come to a Circular Tumulus, on 
the right side, surmounted by a rude circular tower, built 
upon it during the middle ages, and some few yards further 
on, two other Tumuli of the same form and size. These 
are believed to be The Tombs of the Curiatii, and to mark 
the spot where the celebrated battle between the Horatii 
and Curiatii was fought. 

Turning off from the road through the gate by the side 
of the first Tumulus, we find some massive remains of a 
wall built of great squared blocks of stone, and the indica- 
tion of the Hues it followed in enclosing a rectangular area, 
340 feet in bngth, by 200 in width. This was The Great 
Ustrinum, where the bodies were burned. 

On the opposite side to the Tumuli is an enormous mass 
of concrete, like a colossal mushroom, the remains of an 



Villa of the Quintilii. 



231 



unknown tomb, which, from the architectural fragments 
found, must have been of great magnificence ; and opposite 
to the third Tumulus are the remains of an interesting 
Private Columbarium of small size. Care must be taken 
here of the holes opening into the subterranean portion — the 
lujpogeum — of the adjoining sepulchre. 

A little further on, we come to a modern wall, with a door 
opening on a court-yard paved with flag-stones, in front of 
an immense niche, partly encumbered with constructions 
of the middle ages. This is a portion of the frontage of 
the magnificent 

VILLA OF THE QUINTILII, 

which extended along the Via Appia for a considerable 
distance, and back, as far as the modern road to Albano, 
called the Via Appia Nuova. Ascending to the higher 
ground on our right, we see two enormous square masses 
of ruin with windows like those of a cathedral. These, 
with other smaller ruins around them, formed the chief 
portion of the villa in that direction, and for those who 
have time to walk across the field, are exceedingly well 
worth visiting. The ancient and powerful family of the 
Quintilii consisted, in the time of Commodus, of two bro- 
thers, Maximus and Condinus, and a son of the latter. 
For some offence tjiey had given the Emperor, or he had 
conceived against them, they were put to death, partly, it 
is believed, through the desire Commodus had conceived to 
obtain possession of this villa. He laid out an extensive 
hippodrome; spent much of his time here in the amuse- 
ments of chariot lacing and hunting, and finally was mur- 
dered here a.d. 193. Between the years 1787 and 1 702, and 
again in 1828, extensive excavations were made among these 



232 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



ruins, and many statues and other works of sculpture 
found. 

About a quarter of a mile further on we reach the ruin 
called Casale Rotondo, an enormous circular mass of con- 
crete, on which stands a farm house and a grove of olive trees. 
It is the remains of the Tomb of Cotta, and was originally a 
colossal mole, 342 feet in diameter, with a pyramidal roof, 
covered with slabs of marble, laid like gigantic fish scales, 
and surmounted by a, kind of circular lantern. Of the marble 
facing of this lantern, and of the slabs which covered the 
roof, considerable fragments were found in excavations 
made in 1852. They have been encased in a wall built for 
the purpose alongside, and a very slight examination will 
enable any one to understand what the decoration was like. 
The Cotta, whose name is on the fragment of the inscrip- 
tion found, is believed to be Valerius Messalinus Cotta, 
second son of the celebrated historian and poet, Messala 
Coevinus, the friend of Augustus and Horace, and it is 
possible that his remains may have been deposited within 
the monument. In the middle ages this tomb was fortified 
by the Savelli family. Many faction fights were fought 
around it, and on the 30th November, 1485, it was attacked 
by the Orsini, and taken by assault. Further than this, 
which corresponds with about the sixth mile along the 
Appian Way, few persons are able to go. 

Returning, on the opposite side, not quite midway to the 
Villa of the Quintilii, are the remains of baths, with mosaic 
pavements rapidly disappearing, built by some speculator 
for the convenience of travellers going to Rome. 



Piazza cli Spagna. 



233 



FROM THE PIAZZA DI SPA GNA TO THE QUIRINAL 
AND THE BATHS OF DIOCLETIAN. 

Taking the Via delta Propaganda, to the right of the 
College of the Propaganda Fide, we pass, on the left the 
Church of St. Andrea delle Fratte, built in 1612, upon 
the site of an earlier church of the fifteenth century. It 
was commenced by Gio Baltista Guerra, and finished by 
Borromini, with the exception of the facade, built in 1826, 
by Pasquale Belli. 

Continuing in a straight line to the end of the short Via 
St. Andrea delle Fratte, we turn to the right, and following 
the curve to the left, pass through the Piazza Poli, and the 
little Piazza dei Crociferi, in a straight line onwards, to the 
side of The Fountain of Trevi (seepage 99). 

The left side of the Piazza Poli is formed by The Palazzo 
Poli, No. 91, and opposite to it is The Oratory of Santa 
Maria in Via. At the corner of the Via Poli and the Piazza 
dei Crociferi is The Church of Santa Maria in Triyio, 
built in 1573, by Giacomo del Duca, on the site of one of 
very ancient date, rebuilt, according to tradition, by BeK- 
sarius, in expiation for having deposed Pope Silverius, a.d. 
537. 

At the further corner, opposite the fountain of Trevi, 
stands The Church of S.S. Vincenzo and Anastasio, 
rebuilt in 1600, by Martino Lunglii, the younger, at the 
expense of Cardinal Mazzarin. Up to the time of Leo 
XII., 1823-29, this was the parish church of the Quirinal 
Palace, and it is remarkable as the place where the _/>ro 
cordi — the portions removed previous to embalment — of 
the Popes who died in the Quirinal Palace, from Six! us V., 
1585-90, to Pius YIIL, 1828-31, were interred. Their 



234 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



names are registered on a marble slab on the wall of the 
tribune. 

Passing along the street, to the right of the Church, we 
take the first main turning to the right, and ascending the 
-side of 

THE QUIEINAL HILL, 

enter the region where New Rome is rapidly springing into 
existence, on the high table-land, from which the promon- 
tories of the Quirinal, Viminal, and Esquiline project. 
This district has always been considered the healthiest 
portion of the city. In the days when ancient Rome had 
become a desert, and the modern city was restricted to the 
Campus Martius ; when the inhabitants were compelled to 
drink the water of the Tiber, and even to purchase it from 
water carriers, who conveyed it to their houses ; when it 
was even a luxury to the extent that Pius III., 1503, and 
Clement VII., 1528-34, when on their journeys to Loreto, 
Bologna, and as far as Marseilles, had a supply of it carried 
with them ; the Quirinal Hill was a country suburb to the 
Rome of that day. We read how Bernardo Tasso, the 
father of the great Torquato, received the loan of a villa 
belonging to the Colonna, on the Quirinal, that he might 
have a pleasant place with good air, where to spend the 
summer with his children. Bartolommeo Carrari, in his 
life of Paul IV., 1555-59, says :— 

" The Pope was in the habit of using the Caraffa Palace on the 
Quirinal, often going there to reside, and to enjoy the amenity of the 
place, and the salubrity of the air. At that time, the Pontiffs 
possessed no habitation on that Hill, and it was only after some 
years, when, taking into consideration that Cardinal Oiiveri had se- 
lected the best site in Borne, they bought those edifices, and, with 
sumptuous magnificence, made them their residence." 

On the site of these buildings Gregory XIII., 1572-85, 
founded 



The Quirinal Palace. 



235 



THE QUIEINAL PALACE, 
-employing the Lombard architect, Flaminio Ponzio. The 
work was continued by Doniinico Fontana, under Sixtus V., 
1585-90, and Clement VIII., 1592-1605. Paul V., 1.605-21, 
increased the size of the Palace by building a splendid 
chapel, with a grand hall and noble suite of rooms, under 
the direction of Carlo Maderno, and, taking up his residence 
here on the 4th of January, 1614, commenced to date the 
Papal Bulls, Apud S.M. Major em, in place of Apud S. 
Mar cum. Urban VIII., 1623-45, isolated the building, and 
surrounded the gardens with a high wall, and Alexander 
VII., 1655-67, employed Bernini to erect that long wing 
extending in the direction of the Via Venti Settembre, 
called the Manica lunga, for the use of the Pontifical house- 
hold. The building which forms this portion of the Palace 
was extended during the following pontificates, and finally 
•completed, as we see it, by Fuga, in the time of Clement 
XII., 1730-40. It is this wing of the Quirinal Palace which 
for many years was, on the death of the Pope, set apart for 
the Conclave, and it was from the balcony above the chief 
entrance from the piazza, that the name of the newly-elected 
Pope was announced to the people. The Quirinal Palace 
was the favourite residence of Pius VII. Here he was taken 
prisoner by Napoleon I., here he died in 1823, and from 
here, in 1849, Pius IX. made his escape to Gaeta. It is now 
the Royal Palace of the King of Italy, but is chiefly in- 
habited by the Prince and Princess of Piedmont — Prince 
Humbert and the Princess Margherita — to whom are de- 
puted the duties of presiding over the regal hospitalities in 
Rome. The State Rooms, except on very rare occasions, 
xCan always be seen, and also the private apartments of the 
Prince and Princess, when they are absent from Rome. 



236 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Traversing tlie portico, by the side of the great courtyard, 
which measures 303 feet . in length by 162 in width, we 
ascend the grand staircase, and enter 

The Sala Begia, 

150 feet in length, built by Paul V. The vault is covered with frescoes 
by Lanfranco and Carlo Saraceni. Along the frieze, the arms of the 
cities of Italy have recently been painted. At one end of the hall is 
a painting of Frances de Valois and Maria Giovanni Battista, the- 
two wives of Charles Emanuel II. of Savoy, on horseback, by Deljino.- 
On the wall facing the windows are two pictures, one from Dante's 
Inferno, the other of the Lombard League, by Arienti. Over the 
door leading into the Pauline Chapel is a fine alto-relief, with figures 
the size of life, of our Saviour washing the feet of the Apostles, by 
Taddeo Landini. 

The Pauline Chapel, 

built by Carlo Maderno, for Paul V., from whom it takes its name. 
It was in this chapel that the election of the Popes chosen in the- 
Quirinal was completed. The Cardinal chosen being asked by the 
Cardinal Deacon if he accepted the Pontifical dignity, and replying hx 
the affirmative, he was invited to declare his name, in accordance 
with the usage established by Sergius IV., 1009-12, that " the Pontiff 
elected shall leave his baptismal name and assume another.'' Having 
been invested with the Pontifical robes, by the two senior Cardinals, 
he gave from the altar his first benediction to the Cardinals present,, 
and then seating himself upon the Pontifical throne — which stood on 
the dais to the left — received the homage of the members of the Sacred. 
College, in the manner directed by the ceremonial, as follows : — " One- 
at a time the Cardinals shall leave their places, and kneeling before- 
the Pontiff kiss his right foot and hand, then rising on their feet shall 
give him the kiss on both cheeks, which is called the osculum pacis."" 
He then received the fisherman's ring from the Cardinal Chamberlain,, 
and his permission was asked that his election might be announced to ^ 
the people. On the eve of the taking of Eome, by the Italian army,, 
on the 20th September, 1870, this chapel was formally deconsecrated. 
On the walls are now hung some fine Gobelin tapestries, recently 
brought from Florence — Our Saviour driving out the Money Changers ; 
The Last Supper ; Our Saviour washing the Apostles' feet ; The Mira- 
culous Draught of Fishes ; The Stoning of St. Stephen. Turning to 
the left, on leaving the chapel, we entera series of ante-rooms leading 
to the state apartments. 

Fiest Ante-room. 

The paintings are — David and Goliath, Guercino, 

The Triumph of David, Guercino. 

David going forth against Goliath, Guercino. 

Second Ante-room. 
Tapestry representing the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. 



The Quir'uial Palace. 



237 



Third Ante-boom. 
Tapestry representing the Death of Leonardi da Vinci. 

Fourth Ante-room. 
Hung with blue damask. Facing the window, a picture of The 
Martyrdom of the forty Jesuits at Japan. 

Fifth Ante-room. 

Hung with green damask. Facing the window, a picture of The 
Power of Love, by Cav. di Vivo. 

Sixth Ante-room. 

Hung with crimson damask. Facing the window, are pictures of 
Eaphael and the Fornarina in his Studio, and of Pia de Toloinei, 
by Carlo Saltelli. The window of this room opens on the bal- 
cony from which the name of the newly elected Pope was an- 
nounced to the multitude in the piazza below. Having received the 
permission of the Pontiff the eldest Cardinal Deacon, preceded by 
the cross, and accompanied by the Master of the Ceremonies, pro- 
ceeded to this window, aud having broken down the wall built to 
close it during the sitting of the Conclave, passed out upon the bal- 
cony and in a loud voice proclaimed the election in the following 
words : — 

" Anmmeio vobis gaudium magnum: habemus. Papain eminentis- 
simum et reoerendissimum Dominion. * * * * qui sibi nomen 
ii.'tposuit * * * *." 

Seventh Ante-room, 

Hung with blue damask Facing the window is a picture of St. John 
the Baptist by Giirfio Romano. 

The State Drawing Eoom. 

The walls are hung and the gilt furniture entirely covered with gold 
coloured damask. From the ceiling hang two inagnihceut Venetian 
chandeliers of blown glass, with coloured flowers in the cinquecento 
style, from the Salviati manufactory at Venice. Around the walls 
are six Chinese vases. 

The Throne Eoom. 

The walls are hung with dark crimson damask and the canopy with 
crimson velvet. Around the room are eight magnificent Chinese 
vases, six surmounted with chandeliers, and two enormous lustres 
hang from the ceiling. Opposite the throne is a portrait of Charles 
Albert, King of Sardinia, the father of Victor Emanuel, by Capisani. 

The Ambassadors' Waiting Eoom. 

The walls are hung with blue damask. On the left, opposite the 
mirror, is a beautiful Sevres vase, and on the right two large Chinese 
vases, between which are portrait busts, of the King Victor Emanuel 
by Albertoni, and of the Princess Margherita, executed in 1SG9, by 
Fantacchiotti. From the ceiling hang two magnihcent Salviati 
chandeliers. From this room we pass into 



238 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



PEINCE HUMBEET'S PEIVATE APAETMENTS. 
First Eoom. 

Small square room with vaulted ceiling. The walls hung, and the- 
gilt furniture covered, with blue silk. 

Second Eoom. 

Gilt furniture covered with pearl-coloured damask. Opposite the 
windows is a portrait of Que°n Maria Adelaide, wife of Victor 
Emanuel and mother of Prince Humbert, and opposite to it a portrait 
of Queen Maria Teresa, the wife of Charles Albert and grandmother 
of Prince Humbert. This used to be the Pope's bedroom. 

A passage, hung and furnished with red striped material, leads to 

Prince Humbert's Bedroom. 

The walls are hung with blue damask with a yellow pattern, and the 
furniture and bed of carved walnut furnished with the same material. 
Over the head of the bed is a painting of the Madonna and Child, by 
Domenichino. 

Prince Humbert's Eeception Eoom. 

Entirely furnished with green and gold coloured silk damask. On 
the large settee in the centre is a beautiful Chinese Vase, and on the 
walls two fine interiors of Spanish Cathedrals, by Fayola. From this 
room we enter the Private Apartments op the Princess Margherita,. 
commencing with 

The Princess's Bedroom. 

Most charmingly hung with tapestries of great beauty, illustrating 
the story of Don Quixote, formerly in the Palazzo Eeale at Caserta. 
The bed is furnished with white figured damask. 

The next room is The Bath Eoom, from which, turning to the left, 
we pass through a double room, or rather two rooms thrown into one r 
to form The Princess's Library — the walls of one portion of which 
are covered with stamped leather — and thence into 

The Princess's Music Eoom, 

One side of which is entirely lined with plate glass, held by most 
delicately carved frames, gilt, and on three sides windows opening to 
the ground, command a most magnificent panoramic view of Borne, 
a finer view even than that seen from the Janiculum. The walls are 
hung with tapestries from the Palazzo Eeale of Caserta, en suite with 
those in the bedroom, the subjects being the continuation of the 
history of Don Quixote. The cradle, in the form of a silver shell, 
supported by a dolphin, with cherubs' heads around the bed, was pre- 
sented to the Princess, for the birth of the Prince of Naples, by 40,000 
children of the National Schools of the different cities of Italy. The 
ceiling has been recently painted in fresco by Barilli. 

Eepassing through the further side of the Library, we enter 



The Quirinal Palace. 



239 



The Princess's Workroom. 

Hung and furnished with rich satin damask, white flowers on a 
crimson ground. The recesses of the windows are lined with looking 
glass, with seven charming little gilt baskets on each side for bouquets 
of flowers, and on the walls of the room, are a number of flower 
baskets. Between the windows, is a beautiful gilt and painted 
cabinet inlaid with crystal, and opposite, to the left of the fireplace, 
another cabinet ornamented with ormolu and porcelain panels, painted 
with baskets of flowers. At the right of the fireplace, and ends of the 
room, are etageres with the Princess's painting materials, and well- 
filled book cases, in which are many English works. By the side of 
the fire is a beautiful screen, and about the room are arranged little 
Japan work tables, luxurious arm chairs, and charming little settees, 
marvels of upholstery ; and finally a sewing machine. 

The Princess's Private Drawing Boom. 

Hung and furnished with beautiful blue flowered satin. By the fire- 
place are luxurious sofas, arm chairs, and a beautiful Japanese 
screen ; and about the room, which like all those used by the 
Princess, has, notwithstanding its splendour, a thoroughly home 
look, are a number of small tables and dwarf settees. On the right 
wall is a life-size portrait of Victor Emanuel, and below it in an oval 
frame a portrait of the Prince of Naples, of whom also there is another 
portrait on an easel. 

The has relief around the walls immediately below the ceiling is 
the Triumph of Alexander, by Thorwaldsen. 

Passing through a kind of Ante-room, the walls of which are 
covered with stamped leather held by steel bosses, we enter the 
Princess's State Drawing Boom ; but first may turn into a large room 
to the right, where a number of very beautiful birds, of which the 
Princess is very fond, are generally kept. 

The Princess's State Drawing Boom. 

Most sumptuously furnished throughout with satin of the Princess's 
favourite colour, a delicate pearl grey, with the exception of a few 
dwarf settees and light gilt chairs, covered with red silk damask shot 
with gold. In one corner is a large gold easel frame, containing a 
number of family miniatures, and towards the further end of the room 
a group in marble of Ino and Bacchus by Benzoni. 

Cabinet, 

Entirely hung with tapestries, the subjects from Don Quixote, en 
suite with those in the Bedroom and Music-room, and the gilt furni- 
ture covered with tapestry of birds and animals. 

The Princess's Ladies' Waiting Boom. 

Hung and furnished with red damask. On one side is a marble 
statue of The Bebel Angel, by Tabacchi, 1870, and on the wall facing 
the window life-size portraits on horseback of Charles Emanuel II. 
of Savoy, and his wife Maria, by Deljiiw. 

We then pass into the suite used for the state dinners. 



240 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Labge Ante-boom, 

Used by the Prince and Princess as their private dining room. Hung 
with yellow damask, and having on one of the walls a very fine full 
length portrait of the Princess. This room is used for dancing during 
the Carnival balls. 

From this room we turn to the left, into a small Private Chapel, 
in which there is a fine Annunciation, by Guido. 

Second Ante-room, 

Hung with tapestry. This is used as the supper room during the 
Carnival balls. Prom the windows there is a view of the Labyrinth. 

State Dining Koom. 

This room has been newly decorated and the vault painted in fresco 
— the rising of the Star of Italy — by Barilli. Three magnificent 
lustres hang from the ceiling. From the windows there is a good 
view of the gardens of the Quirinal. 
We then pass into a long 

Corridor, 

by which we return to the Sala Eegia. It contains a number of 
modern pieces of sculpture of no great merit, vases, tazze, carved 
-cabinets, and some pretty pieces of tapestry, from the Pitti Palace at 
Florence. 

MONTE CAVALLO. 

The Piazza in front of the Quirinal Palace lias received 
this name from the two magnificent groups of a man and a 
horse, called Castor and Pollux, which ornament the 
fountain. They were found among the rains of the Baths 
of Constantine, which occupied this spot, and were first 
placed to ornament the Piazza by Sixtus V., 1585-90. 
According to tradition they stood in front of the Atrium of 
Nero's golden house, and are said to be the works of 
'Phidias and Praxiteles. This may possibly have been 
derived from some inscription found at the time they were 
discovered, for there can be no doubt they are works of the 
Phidian epoch of art, in so far as being ancient copies in 
marble from bronze originals would constitute them. All 
persons with any knowledge of horses will at once perceive 
that the men and horses have been transposed ; that the 



Monte Gavallo. 



241 



horse on the right pedestal belongs to the man on the left, 
and vice versa. In the time of Sixtns V. they stood in 
their proper positions, bnt were changed by Antinori in 
1786, when he erected the Obelisk, and arranged them as 
we see, notwithstanding many petitions to the contrary 
presented to the Pope, Pins "VI. On the morning after 
the change was made, a pasquinade bearing the words 
OPVS . PERFIDIAE . PII . SEXTI . was found pasted over 
the title OPVS PHIDIAE on the pedestal to the left. 

The bason of the fountain is antique, of red granite, and 
measures 76 feet in circumference. It was found in the 
16th century among the ruins of the Forum, near the arch 
of Septimius Severus, and was placed here to serve its 
present use by Pius VII., in 1818. The Obelisk, which 
measures 45 feet in height without the base, originally stood 
on one side of the entrance to the Mausoleum of Augustus ; 
that now before the Tribune of S. Maria Maggiore standing 
on the other. They were brought to Rome by Claudius, 
a.d. 57. 

On the left, as we look towards the Fountain, is the 
Palace of the Consulta, now the Ministry oe Foreign 
Affairs, numbered 63, built by Ferdinano Fuga, in the time 
of Clement XII., 1730-40. 

A little further on the left, a long blank wall, with a 

gateway numbered 65, and a number of small square 

w r alled-up windows, encloses 

THE EOSPIGLIOSI PALACE, 

founded by Flaminio Ponzl for Cardinal Scipio Borghese, 

in 1603, on the rains of the Baths of Constantine. It 

afterwards passed into the possession successively, of the 

Duke d' Altemps, of Cardinal Bentivoglio, and of Cardinal 

Mazzarin, and was increased in size by each from the de- 
ft 



242 



Tourist's HandhooJ: to Borne. 



signs of Carlo JIadernc. The interior of the Palace is not 
shown to visitors, but the Casino, which contains the 
celebrated Ausoea ey G-uido. and a small collection of 
pictures, is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 
Fibsi Boom. 

Sea Piece : Salrator Rosa. 



t the right corner. 
Titian. 

Facing the windows. 
Some fragments of fresco paint- 
ings from the Ba:hs of C 
stantine, on the remains of 
which the Palace stands. 
remainder of the paintings 
in this room are not worthy 
of mention. 



Ira 



Frescoes on the ceiling. 
The Aurora : Guido. A 
The Triumph of Fame, frieze on Vanity 

the left : Tempest a. 
The Triumph of Love, frieze on 

the right : Tempesta. 
Four Landscapes : Paul BriU. 

Paintings on the right wall. 
The Virgin and Child : School of 

Leonardo da Vinci. 
Portrait of a Man : Vandyke. 

Pass to the right into 

The Second Boom. 

The Paintings have no numbers 
arhxe d t o them , hut numb ers , 
as given below, have lately 
been marked with white 
chalk on the wall against 
each. The principal works 
will be found in the following 
order : 

Turn to the right. 

1. Lot and hi- Daughters : An- 

nibale Caracci. unknown. 

2. Samsox pulling down the pil- j A horse in bronze. 

lars upon the Philistines : of the room. 

Ludovico Caracci. 
6. Soldiers sack in g a house : i 
unknown. 

Cross the first room to 



19. 



Idem: unknown. 
Venus and Cupid: unknown. 
Alartyrdorn of >t. Bartholo- 
mew : Spagnoletto. 

TEE TeRRESIRIAL PaRaZ'ISE. 

the fall of Adam and Eve : 
Domeniehino. 

Diana chasing Venus and 
Cupid : Lorenzo Lotti. 
The death of Peter Martvr ; 



i:t : . . i .... 



Pass to the left. 
44. Perseus d elites ix & Andro- 

iiEUA : Guido. 
43. Head of an old man. 
12. The Genius of Abundance. 
41. Portrait of Nicholas Poussin 

at the age of 56, by him self. 
31. Our Saviour carrying his 

Cross : Rubens. 



e Third Boo 
32. 0 



ii Saviour meeting his 
mother on the way to Cal- 
vary: Daniele da Tolterra. 
23. The Triumph op Dated : 

Domeniehino. 
12. Adam and Eve : Palma. 

2. Head of an old man. 

3. Poppea. second wife of Nero: 

Florentine School. 
18. A Pie; a : Anuilale Caracci. 



Baths of Coiistaatliie. 



243 



Opposite to the Rospigliosi Palace is the Garden Gate of 
the COLONNA Palace, No. 12, described, page 108, into which 
admittance can generally be obtained by ringing the bell. 
On the upper terrace, to the left, are some Colossal Archi- 
tectural Fragments of white marble, of stupendous size ; 
conjectured to have belonged to The Temple of the Sux. 
erected by Aurelian, on the Quirinal. The largest mea- 
sures no less than 1490 cubic feet ; giving an estimated 
weight of more than 100 tons. At the other extremity of 
the terrace are some extensive remains of The Baths of 
Constanttne, built a.u. 326, now converted into hay lofts. 
The lower terraces of the garden, as they slope down to the 
Palace, are exceedingly quaint and picturesque. Along the 
walks are some interesting antique Sarcophagi. 

Returning past the Palace of the Consulta, and proceeding 
along the Via del Quirinale, we come, on the right, to the 
pretty little oval Church of S. Axdeea a Monte Cavallo, 
built by B&mini, at the expense of Prince Camillo PaninTi. 
nephew of Innocent X. The picture of the Martyrdom of 
St. Andrew, above the high altar, is by Gugliebmo Gourtoys, 
brother of the celebrated Borgognone. In the Chapel, to 
the left, is the monument, by Festa, of Charles Emanuel 
TV., King of Sardinia, who abdicated in 1S02, entered the 
Jesuit order, and died in the adjoining convent in 1819. 

Continuing onwards, we come to The Quattro Foxtaxe. 
the four fountains, one at each corner where the streets 
cross, which lead from the Quirinal to the Porta Pia, in 
a direct line before us, and from the Pincean Hill, on 
the left, to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, on the 
right. 

At the right hand corner is the Church of St. Carlo alle 
Quattro Foxtaxe, built, together with the adjoining con- 



244 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



vent, by Boromini, in 1667; it A^as the first work which 
brought him into notice. 

At the further corner is the Albani Palace, built by 
Dome?iico Fontana for Cardinal Mattel, from whom it passed 
into the possession of the Albani family. It was purchased 
a few years ago by the ex- Queen Isabella of Spain. The 
Turkish Ambassador now occupies a portion of it. 

Descending the hill to the left, we come, on the right, to 
THE BABBEEINI PALACE, 

commenced for Urban VIII., 1623-44, by Carlo Maderno, 
and finished by Bernini in 1640. This palace, which is one 
of the largest in Rome, is almost entirely built of travertine 
taken from the Colosseum. Entering the door, on the right 
of the Portico, above which are the words Aedes Barberinae, 
we ascend the corkscrew staircase to the first door in the 
wall, which is that of 

The Picture Gallery. 

It contains a comparatively insignificant collection, arranged 
in three small rooms, but worth visiting on account of the 
celebrated portrait of Beatrice Genci, by Guido, said to have 
been painted in the prison, the day before her execution. 

Fie st Booii. 



4. The Annunciation : School 

of Correggio. 
9. A Pieta: Michael Angelo da 

Caravaggio. 

10. Sophonisba : Guercino. 

11. The Apotheosis of St. Urban : 
Simmi Vouet. 



15. The Magdalen : Pomarancio. 

16. Joseph and Potiphar's wife : 
Bilivert. 

21. St. Cecilia: Lanfranco. 
25. Jacob wrestling with the 
Angel : Pomarancio. 



The Library. 



245 



Second Boom. 



30. Holy Family: School of 

Raphael. 
33. Portrait of Urban VIII. : 

Andrea Sacchi. 
38. Our Saviour in the Garden ; 

Correggio. 
44. The building of the Temple ; 

Bonfonti. 

47. Diana andActason : Locatelli. 

48. Madonna ' and Child, with 
John the Baptist and St. 
Jerome: Fraud a. 

54. Madonna and Child : Sodoma. 
57. Holy Family : School of 
Raphael. 



58. Madonna & Child: Giovanni 
Bellini. 

63. Portrait of his daughter : 

Raphael Mengs. 
67. Portrait of Mdssaccio, by 

himself. 

Three has reliefs cast in iron at 
Berlin. 

69. The Last Supper, after Leo- 
nardo da Vinci. 

70. Our >aviour blessing the Cup, 
after Domenicliino. 

71. St. John the Evangelist, after 
Domenicliino. 



ThiiId Boom. 



72. A Slave: Titian. 

74. The Almighty reproving 

A dam and Eve : Domenicliino 
76. View of Castle G-andolfo, and 

the Lake of Albano: Claude 

Lorrain. 
79. Our Saviour disputing with 

the Doctors : Albert Durer. 

81. Portrait of the Mother of 
Beatrice Cenci: Michael 
Angelo da Garavaggio. 

82. The Fornajrnia : Raphael. 



S3 



Portrait of Lucretia Cenci, 
step-mother of Beatrice : 
Scipio Gaetani. 
Beatrice Cenci : Guido. 
'J he death of Germanicus: 
Nicholas Poussin. 
88. ASea piece: Claude Lorrain. 
90. Holy Family: Andrea del 
Sarto. 

93. TheAnnunciation : Botticelli. 

94. Attack on the Palazzo Vec- 
chio at Florence : Cana etti. 



85. 
86. 



Continuing up the corkscrew staircase we reach the Grand 
Hall, leading into the state apartments. It is worth going 
up to see on account of its great size and of the frescoes by 
Pietro da Gorton a, with which the five compartments of the 
vault are decorated. 



The Library, 

open on Thursdays, is one of the largest in Rome, and is 
particularly rich in manuscripts and rare editions. It was 
formed by Cardinal Francisco Barberini, nephew of Urban 
VTIL, and contains about 10,000 manuscripts and (30,000 
printed volumes. 



•246 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



At the bottom of the hill we enter The Piazza Barberint, 
and crossing diagonally to the further side, where the 
smaller Piazzi dei Cappuccini opens from it, we see at the 
summit of the ascent, on the left, The Church of Sta. 
Maria della Concezione, commonly called 

THE CHUECH OF THE CAPPUCCINI, 

from the Capuchin monks — France-scans — who inhabit the 
adjoining convent. It is chiefly celebrated for the beautiful 
picture of St. Michael triumphing over Satan, by Guido, 
in the first chapel on the right ; and for the Cemetery 
connected with the Church, in which the monks, until very 
recently, were buried, and where the bones of some six 
thousands, accumulated during two hundred and fifty 
years, are piled up in all kinds of quaintly horrible designs 
against the w r alls. The earth, it is said, was brought 
from Jerusalem and has a peculiarly drying tendency. The 
graves are forty in number : the bodies were placed in the 
bare ground, and when the whole was filled and more room 
was required, the bodies longest buried w T ere disinterred in 
rotation, and piled up with the others; or if, as often occurred, 
the fleshly portions had dried up, the mummy was dressed 
in the monkish attire it had worn through life, and 
placed in a niche composed of the bones of his dead 
companions. 

The Church and Convent were built in 1624, by Antonio 
Casoni, and Michele, one of the monks, at the expense of 
the brother of Urban VIII., Cardinal Antonio Barberini, 
who belonged to this order, and whose sepulchral slab, 
bearing nothing but the words, HIC . JACET . PVLVIS . 
CINIS . ET . NIHIL., lies in front of the altar. 

The entrance to the Cemetery is from the courtyard, to 



Gardens of the Massimo. 



247 



the riglit of the Church ; bat, to obtain admittance, appli- 
cation mnst be made to one of the monks in the Church ; or, 
if it is shut, at the Convent door, to the left. 

From the Piazza Barberini, we proceed along the Via San 
rTiccola da Toleutino, at the back of The Fountain— See 
page 35 — and pass, on the right, the Church of San 
Niccola da Tolentino, built in 1614, at the expense of the 
Pamphili family. The facade was designed by Battista 
Baratta ; and the high altar, by Allessanclro Algardi. 

At the end of the Via San Niccola da Tolentino, on the 
left, are the Gardens of The Massimo, which occupy the 
site of The Circus and Gardens of Sallust. 

Turning to the left, up the Via Sta. Susanna, we find at 
the left corner The Church of Sta. Maria Della Vittoria. 

In 16G5, a small Church, dedicated to St. Paul, was built 
here, by Paul V., for the barefooted Carmelites of the ad- 
joining monastery ; but, in 1621, it was thrown down to 
give place to the present edifice, of larger size, and more 
sumptuous decoration, erected in honour of a wooden image 
of the Virgin, carried before the Imperial army in the battle 
of the White Mountain, near Prague, and to the miraculous 
powers of which the victory over the Protestant troops of 
Frederick and Elizabeth of Bohemia was attributed. 

At the request of the Duke of Bavaria, Paul V. sent 
Padre Domenico, a celebrated preacher of that day, to join 
the army. He found, among a quantity of lumber, in the 
Castle of Straconitz, a battered old image of the Virgin, 
without eyes. Carrying it among the troops he exhibited 
the injuries it had received, aud attributing them to the 
Protestants, exhorted the soldiers in powerful language to 
revenge the sacrilege perpetrated upon " the Mother of 
God," and carried it in the battle as a rallying point. After 



248 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



the victory it was conveyed to Rome, and on the wav, was 
exhibited processionally at all the places of importance 
through which it passed. Valuable presents and offerings 
were collected everywhere to a large amount ; the Em- 
peror presented it with an Imperial crown of solid gold, 
set with gems of great price ; the Duke of Bavaria gave it 
a grand tabernacle, 7 feet 6in. in height, of ebony, orna- 
mented with silver and silver bas reliefs ;* the Archduke 
Leopold, a valuable silver lamp ; the Infanta of Spain sent 
rich" ornaments [for an altar ; and the Elector of Cologne 
and Duke William of Bavaria gave reliquaries full of the 
relics of Saints, whose names form a long list, including- 

7 © - o 

six of the Apostles ; presents of great value were given by 
the Grand Dukes of Florence and Mantua, the Duke of 
Bracciano, the Duchess Doria, and many others; and the 
humble little Church of St. Paul was rebuilt as we see it, to 
commemorate the triumphs of Rome over Protestantism, 
and dedicated to St. Mary of the Victory, as personified 
in this image. Until recently a number of the tattered 
flags taken in the battle were hanging from the cornice, 
together with many others afterwards captured in the reli- 
gious wars in the Netherlands. 

In digging the foundations, the beautiful statue of an 

COO 7 

Hermaphrodite, now in the Louvre, was discovered, and 
purchased by Cardinal Scipio Borghese at the expense of 
building the facade. The interior of the Church was built 
from the designs of Carlo Maderno, and the facade from 
those of Grio. Battesta Soria, 

In the second chapel on the right, the picture of the 

* The wooden image of the Virgin was placed in this tabernacle on the high altar, 
■where both, together with all the other embellishments of the altar, were destroyed by 
fire on the night of the 29th March, 1833. 



Church of Santa Susanna. 



240 



Virgin and St. Francis, over the altar, and the paintings on 
the walls, are by Domenichino. 

In the third chapel, on the left, the Trinity over the altar 
is by Guercino ; the portrait of Cardinal Cornaro, on the 
right, is by Guido. The Crucifixion, on the left, is a copy 
from a picture by Guido, now in the Duke of Northumber- 
land's collection. 

Above the altar of the Chapel of Sf a. Teresa, in the left 
transept, is one of Bernini's most famous works, represent- 
ing the Ecstasy of Sta. Teresa, a group characterised by 
all the worst exaggerations into which an exuberant and 
scenic style led that great genius, and, by an obvious " fault 
more serious than even a bad style." The heads in bas 
relief, curiously arranged in balconies on each side as if they 
were looking on, are portraits of Cardinals of the great 
Cornari family of Venice. 

The group above the altar, in the opposite transept, 
represents St. Joseph sleeping, and the Angel telling him 
not to put Mary away, by Domenico Guidi. The bas reliefs, 
that on the left, of the Birth of Christ, and on the right, 
of the Flight into Egypt, were sculptured by Monot. 

The high altar is undergoing restoration. • 

Opposite to this Church is the side of the Fountain of 
the Aqua Felice (see page 34), and a few steps on the 
right is the Chuech of Santa Susanna, the niece of Pope 
Caius, 283-96, and grand-niece of the Emperor Diocletian, 
by whose order she suffered martyrdom, for having refused, 
being a Christian, to marry his adopted son Maximianns 
Galerius. The Church was founded at an early period on 
the site of the house of her father Gabinus, who had built 
an oratory within it for Christian use. The first positive 
record of the Church dates from the year 400. It was 



250 



TouriM's Handbook to Eome. 



restored at various periods, and was finally rebuilt, as we 
see it, by Carlo Maderno in 1603. Around, the walls are 
indifferent frescoes, by Laid as save Croce, illustrating the 
story of Susanna and the Elders. Crossing the road we 
enter The Church of Sax Beenaepo, and with it, commence 
our examination of what remains of 

THE BATHS OF DIOCLETIAN, 

the largest of the great Roman Thermae. The remains, in 
point of fact, are very extensive, but they have been so 
changed by conversion to modern uses, churches, prisons, 
hospitals, hay-lofts, barracks, and even railway offices, that 
it is not easy for the stranger to understand them as a 
whole ; though as regards details, this transformation has 
had the result of preserving portions sufficiently entire, for 
us to appreciate the original construction much better than 
is possible among the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla, not- 
withstanding the alterations made to adapt these to the 
purpose they now serve. 

These Baths, which covered an area measuring 1300 feet 
by 1200, remained entirely abandoned until after the com- 
mencement of the sixteenth century, when Palladia made 
an exact plan of the remains. In 1535 they were bought 
by Bellay, the Ambassador of Francis I. of France, who 
had just been made a Cardinal, and a considerable portion 
of the ruins were converted by him into a Villa, and called 
the TLorti Belleani. Leaving, at his death, an enormous 
amount of debts, his property was divided among his 
creditors, and this, valued at 8,000 scudi, was allotted to 
St. Carlo Borromeo, who was one of the largest, and from 
whom it was redeemed at the expense of the Papal treasury, 
by his uncle Pius IV., 1559-66. 



Baths of Diocletian. 



251 



Tins circular building in which we are standing formed 
-originally one corner of the outer range of edifices, enclosing 
the Baths and the open area around them, and was converted 
in 1600 into a Church dedicated to St. Bernard, without any 
change being made in the construction of the interior, beyond 
the formation of the recess for the high altar. We see the 
domed roof as it was originally built ; the sunk panels with 
which it was ornamented ; the single opening in the summit 
by which the room wasl ighted, and the niches in the wall once 
filled with statues of pagan gods or heroes, now replaced by 
Christian saints, the work of Gamillo Mariani. The paintings 
over the lateral altars are works of very considerable merit 
by the little known painter Giovanni Orlasi (died 1731). 

Turning, on leaving the Church, to the left along the 
Via Torino, and again to the left, on reaching the Via 
Nazionale, we enter a large semicircular area. It is bounded 
by a ruined wall, the outer wall of the great open air 
theatre in the outer range, from the seats of which, the 
spectators could witness the games given on the Stadium, 
that is to say in the enormous area intervening between 
where we are standing, and the great central edifice of the 
Baths directly before us. This central edifice has, on the 
right, where we recognise ruins, been converted into hay- 
lofts and a barrack ; in the middle, into a Church dedicated 
to Santa Maria degli Angeli; and on the left into an 
Orphan Asylum. If, before crossing over to the Church, 
we turn back through the opening made for the Via Nazion- 
•ale in the semicircular wall, and continuing to the left, along 
the remainder of the Via Torino, turn again to the left at 
the end, we shall come to another circular edifice, now 
converted into a Prison, which formed the corner at this 
side of the square of the outer range of the Thermre, and 



252 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



corresponds exactly, in form and size, to the Church of St 
Bernard. In fact these two circular buildings form the 
extremities of one line of the outer square, with the open 
air theatre in the middle. 

From this point we can diagonally cross the Public Garden y 
with the Fountain of the Aqua Maecia {seepage 33) in the 
centre, to 

THE CHURCH OF STA. MARIA DEG-LI ANG-ELL 

This portion of the Baths of Diocletian was converted into 
a Church by Michael Angelo for Pius TV., 1555-59. 

It was originally, as regards the main central portion of 
the Church, the great Tepidarium, the warm water bath T 
and in contemplating this magnificent hall, we can form 
some idea of the magnitude of these enormous establish- 
ments, when we take into consideration that it constituted 
rather less than one ninth part of the great central edifice 
of the Thermae. In form a Greek cross, its limits are exactly 
marked by the sixteen columns, eight of which are mono- 
lyths of Egyptian granite, standing where they were 
originally placed,* while the others are brick columns, built 
to supply the place of those which had fallen, or more jt 
probably, been removed anterior to the sixteenth century. 
The length along the nave and across the transepts is 150 
feet each way within the columns, and the height from the 
present floor to the ceiling is 96 feet. 

At the end of the right transept — but beyond what was 
the great Tepidarium — which was limited to the Greek 

* These columns, 'which are 16 feet in diameter, and measure 46 feet in height, 
including the capitals, and the bases as we see them, are in reality about eight feet 
longer than they appear. In altering the place into a church, it was found necessary 
to raise the floor, and the lower portion of the columns are buried to that depth, rings 
of marble — sham bases — having been fitted on to them at the floor. As there was a 
difficulty in painting the brick columns to imitate the red granite, a later architect 
Vanvitelli, daubed them all a dirty brown to mske them match each other. 



Church of Sta. Maria Degli Angeli. 



253 



.cross within the columns —is the Chapel of the Beato 
Niccolo Alberg iti, to which a beautiful pavement has been 
newly laid, by order of Pius IX., of marbles found at the 
ancient Marmorata, discovered on the left bank of the 
Tiber, in 1867. 

The Church, as originally constructed by Michael Angelo, 
had its chief entrance here, and what are now the transepts, 
then formed the nave ; and, opening from it, were four large 
chapels, two on each side, constructed out of the warm water 
plunge baths on the sides of the Tepidarium, arranged in 
exactly the same manner we see at the Baths of Caracalla. 
In 1749, this arrangement was changed, in order to place 
the Chapel of the Beato Albergati here, which might easily 
have been situated in some other part of the Church. The 
handsome facade of travertine, built by Michael Angelo — 
one of his last works — was thrown down and destroyed ; 
the side chapels were walled up; and the entrance, to 
which no facade has yet been built, changed to where it is 
now. 

We enter through a circular chamber, converted into a 
kind of vestibule, which originally separated the great 
Calidarium — now destroyed — from the Tepidarium, and 
was, probably, also used for the hot-air bath. Immediately 
within the door, as we enter, are the monuments of the two 
celebrated painters, Salvator Rosaaud Carlo Maratta, one on 
each side. On the right, as we pass from this vestibule into 
the body of the Church, is the celebrated Statue of 
St. Bruno, by Houdon. On the walls of the Church are a 
number of pictures of uniform size, originally in St. Peter's; 
but which, as they have gradually been replaced by mosaics, 
have been brought here. Four of these, on the walls within 
the altar, are especially worthy of observation. On the right, 



254 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



the presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, by Romanelli r 
and The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, fresco, by Domeui- 
chiiw ; and, on the left, The Death of Ananias, by Foma- 
rancio, and The Baptism of Our Saviour, by Carlo Maratta. 
The meridian line traversing the floor, and on which a little 
spot of light shows the position of the sun each day at 
noon, was laid down by the learned Monsignore Bianchini, 
by order of Clement XL, in 1703. 

The Villa, now called the Villa Negroni, at the further 
corner of the Piazza, to the left as we leave the Church, was 
built by Domenia Fontana, for Sixtus V., 1585-90, who occu- 
pied it anterior to his elevation to the Papal chair. 

Passing this villa on the left, we continue along the Via 
Viminale. The Villa Stkozzt, on the right side, was 
the residence of the great poet Al fieri, as recorded by a 
tablet recently placed upon the wall. At the end of the 
Via Viminale we turn to the left and see before us The 
Basilica of Santa Maeia Maggiore (see page 258), and at 
a short distance on the right side of the first turning to the 
right we shall find The Church of Santa Pulentiana (see 
page 255). 

FROM SANTA MAEIA MAG CI ORE TO SAN 
PIETBO IN VINCULI * 

The nearest way from the Piazza de Spagna to the 
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is to ascend The Scalinata 
(see page 37), and turning to the right at the summit, we 
shall find that the further street — the first portion of which 

* This section is entitled as commencing at Sta. Maria Maggiore, for the conTenience 
of those who desire to continue onwards from the Baths of Diocletian, after which, it 
is the chief point of interest ; but for those who desire to commence at Sta. Maria 
Maggiore, we have, taking the Piazza de Spagna as a central starting point, indicated 
Hist, the objects of lesser interest passed on the way. 



CJmrch of Santa Pudentiana; 



2o5 



is called The Via Felice — leads in a direct line to the 
Basilica. 

The Church at the top of the steps is The Trinita je? 
Monti (seepage 37). 

The house adjoining the Church was inhabited for forty 
years by the celebrated painter, Nicholas Poussin. In 
that, with a small semicircular portico, No. 9, at the angle 
where the Vias Felice and Gregoriana open into the Piazza, 
Claude Lorrain resided ; and the first house of the Via 
Felice, on the right, No. 64, was built and occupied by the 
Zuccari. Some of the rooms on the ground floor have 
paintings in fresco by Federico Zuccari, and the walls of a 
small room on the second floor are covered with frescoes,, 
illustrating the history of Joseph, by Overbeck, Cornelius, 
Schaclow, and Veit, painted, when young men together, they 
were commencing their careers in Rome, and founding the 
modern school of German art. 

Crossing the Piazza Barberini — in the little piazza from 
the left side of which is The Church of the Cappuchini, 
called Sta. Maria delta Concezione, and their curious 
Cemetery (see page 246) — we ascend the Via delle Quattro 
Fontane, passing, on the left, the Barberini Palace (see 
page 244). 

Descending in a direct line from the further side of the 
Quattro Fontane, we reach the foot of the rise of the 
Esquiline, on which the Basilica of Sta. Maria Maggiore 
stands, but before ascending to it, let us tarn to the right, 
into the Via di Santa Pudentiana, which in ancient times 
was the Vicus Patricias, and a few steps will bring us to 

THE CHUECH OF SANTA PUDENTIANA. 
This Church stands on the site of one of those private 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



houses — celebrated in early Christian history, and rendered 
sacred through the memories attached to them — in which 
the first converts to the Faith assembled together in secret 
during the years of persecution, to offer up their united 
worship to God. Here stood The House of Pudens, the 
wealthy senator, the friend of St. Paul, and whose name, 
together with that of his wife Claudia,* is mentioned by 
St. Paul in his second epistle to Timothy, iv. 21. 

It was a palace of great extent, and within that portion, 
where Novatus, the son of Pudens, added baths to the other 
luxurious accommodation it afforded, Pius L, 142-57, at the 
request of Puassede, the surviving daughter of Pudens, 
consecrated the first Christian Church, known as such, and 
dedicated it to her martyred sister Pudentiana. 

This primitive Church gave place, between the years 772 
and 795, to another, built on a higher level, by Adrian I., the 
apse of which was ornamented with the beautiful mosaic we 
see by Adrian III., 881-85. The Church was restored by 
Gregory VII., 1073-86, and by Innocent II., 1130-43, who 
erected the campanile, and finally it was to a great extent 
modernised by Cardinal Enrico Gaetani in 1597. The four- 
teen columns of grey marble, which divided the aisles from 
the nave, can still be seen in the wall into which they have 
been incorporated, but, from the segment of the apse, which 
has been reduced in size — and the mosaic correspondingly 
injured — it is evident that the nave, as originally built by 
Adrian I., was much wider than the position of these 
columns would indicate. 

The fresco by Ciampelli, on the left as we enter the 
Church, represents Pudenziana and Prassede, collecting the 



* Claudia was the daughter of the British King Caractacus. 



The Church of Santa Pudentiana. 



257 



blood of tlie martyrs ; and, in the left aisle, is a low rectan- 
gular wall covered by an iron grating, in which the sisters 
are said to nave deposited the relics and blood of more than 
3000. 

The handsome chapel close to this, originally called the 
Chapel of St. Pastor, was rebuilt by Francesco da Volterra 
in 1597, for the Cardinal titular, Enrico Graetani, who con- 
verted it into his family chapel. Several of the " Hats" of 
late Cardinals titnlar are hanging from the roof. The bas 
relief over the altar represents the Adoration of the Magi, 
by Paolo Olivieri; and on the steps is a mark which, accord- 
ing to " a pious belief," was made by the Host falling 
bleeding from the hands of a priest who doubted the bodily 
presence. 

Above the altar of the long Chapel, to the left of the 
tribune, is a group representing Our Saviour delivering the 
keys to Peter, by Gio. Battista delta Porta, and on the left 
wall are some Christian inscriptions relating to members of 
the Pudentiani family, found in the catacombs of Santa 
Pris cilia, and which have been recently removed here from 
the Lateran Museum. 

The frescoes in the modern dome above the high altar 
were painted by Pomarancio. 

Originally an ascent of ten steps led up to the Church ; 
now we have to descend by two flights, recently constructed 
by the actual Titular, Cardinal Buonaparte, at whose expense 
also the facade has been decorated with painting in 
imitation of mosaic. The first " Titular" of St. Pudentiana 
was St. Pastor, brother of Pius I. ; the last was Cardinal 
Wiseman. 

Behind the Church, and beneath it, are remains of The 
s 



258 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



House of Pudens,* inwMcli, according to the historians o^ 
the Roman Church, St. Peter lived for seven years, during 
which he converted and baptised Pndens and his family, 
administered the affairs of the Church, and sent out many 
missionaries, who are mentioned by name, to preach the 
Gospel to the Gentiles. Among these he sent Aristobulus, 
one of the seventy-two disciples of Our Lord, to Britain. St. 
Paul, who especially names both Pudens and his wife in 
his second epistle to Timothy, is only incidentally mentioned. 

Ascending the rise of the Esquiline — which has recently 
been lessened by partly filling up the valley, and raising 
the street in front of Sta. Pudentiana — we approach 

THE BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIOBE, 

passing on the way the small Obelisk, erected by Sixtus V. 
in 1587. It originally stood in front of the Mausoleum of 
Augustus, together with that, now above the fountain, on 
Monte Cavallo. 

This Basilica, founded in the year 352, wras the first 
Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Rome. It 
was first entitled Sancta Maria ad Wives, from the cir- 
cumstance which led to its erection, and the Basilica 
Liberiana, a name it still retains, from its founder, Pope 
Liberius. It next received the name of Sta. Maria del 
Presepio, from what is said to be the Manger in which Our 
Lord was laid, preserved here. Next, it was called The 

* A supposition has arisen that these remains -were — like those of the house of 
Clement — entirely unknown until Cardinal Wiseman having, in "Fabiola," drawn 
particular attention to the Church, they were sought for and discovered by an English 
archaeologist. This is entirely erroneous. The remains are mentioned by almost all 
the Italian archaeologists from the fifteenth century to the present time, and some, in 
addition to written description, give plates of the portions, which until a comparatively 
recent period, were visible at the side of the Church. The claims to discovery asserted 
with so little foundation, aroused the indignation of the Ecclesiastical authorities, and 
prevented excavations which would doubtless have had most important results. 



The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. 259 



Basilica Sistina, from Pope Sixfcus III., who rebuilt it; 
and lastly, Santa Maria Maggic-re, from being the first 
Church dedicated to Mary. 

The legends of the Church relate, that on the night of the 
4th of August, 352, the Virgin miraculously appeared in a 
dream, simultaneously, to a certain Johannes Patti, a Roman 
patrician of great wealth — but who being childless was 
desirous of employing his money in good works — and to the 
Pope, Liberius, commanding them to found a Church, in her 
honour, where the highest point of the Esquiline would be 
found, the next morning, covered wdth snow. Imrne. 
diately John arose he went to the Pope, and while 
communicating to him the dream, corresponding exactly 
to his own, word was brought that a remarkable event 
had happened on the Esquiline ; part of it being thickly 
covered with snow. On this, Liberius, attended by his 
Court, and accompanied by John, repaired to the spot, and 
drawing the plan of the Basilica on the ground, the building 
was immediately commenced. This event is represented in 
a bronze bas relief above the altar in the Borghese Chapel 
where it is commemorated each year, on the 5th of August, 
by a solemn mass, during which a quantity of the leaves 
of a delicate white flower are scattered from the dome. 
Floating gently downwards they have all the appearance of 
snow flakes falling lightly on the vestments of the clergy, 
and at the conclusion of the service completely covering the 
floor of the Chapel. 

The primitive Basilica, however, w r ould seem to have been 
not very securely constructed, for seventy years later it was 
entirely rebuilt by Sixtus III., 432-40, as " a trophy against 
the Nestorian heresy," and dedicated by him to St a. Maria 
Mater Dei, and to this period belong the mosaic in the arch 



260 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



of the tribune and the curious series of mosaic pictures, 
representing events taken from the Old and New Testa- 
ments, on the frieze above the columns. At the Council of 
Mcea these pictures were quoted as evidence in confutation 
of the Iconoclasts, and are spoken of at length in a letter 
written by Adrian I. to Charlemagne. 

From the time of Sixtus III. to the present day, the form 
of the interior has undergone no material change, except in 
so far as through additional embellishments made from time 
to time, and by chapels being opened from the sides ; the 
Sixtine and Borghese Chapels being especially designed to 
change the simple basilican plan to the cruciform. The Church 
was re-roofed by Adrian I., 772-95. Eugenius III., 1145-50, 
built a handsome portico, ornamented the facade with mosaic 
pictures, the work of Filippus Bossutus, — still visible in part, 
amid the barbarous additions made by Benedict XIV., — 
and laid down the beautiful pavement of opus Alexandria 
num, which has been entirely relaid, without any change in 
the design, during the present Pontificate. 

Nicholas IV., 1278-92, thoroughly restored the interior,, 
and in 1295 the beautiful mosaic, representing the Corona- 
tion of the Virgin, which ornaments the vault of the apse, 
was made by Jacobus Torriti, at the expense of the Cardinal 
titular Griacomo Colonna. It bears on the left side the 
inscription, JACOBVS . TOEEITI . PICTOE . HOC . OPUS . MOSAICEN. 
FECIT., and on the right, A.D. MCCLXXXXV . DOMINUS. 
JACOBVS . DE . COLONNA . PEESBYTEE . CAEDINALIS. 

The mosaics between the windows were, after the death of 
Jacobus Torriti, completed by Gaddo Gaddi. 

The Campanile, which is the largest in Rome, was built 
by Gregory XL, 1370-78, after his return from Avignon. 
In 1450, Cardinal Rotomagense ornamented the ciborium 



The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. 261 



above the high altar with the four porphyry columns which 
now support the more modern Baldachino. The ceiling of 
carved wood was designed and commenced by Guiliano da 
San Gallo for Calixtus III., 1455-58, and finished in the 
time of Alexander VI., 14.92-1503, when it was gilt with 
the first gold sent from Peru. In 1485, Innocent VIII. 
restored the mosaic in the apse, and about the same time 
Cardinal d'Estoutville, Archpriest of the Basilica, opened 
the doors by the side of the tribune, and ornamented the 
. High Altar with a new and richly sculptured Ciborium. 

In 1575, Gregory XIII. restored the Portico, and Sixtus 
V., 1585-90, opened out the magnificent chapel on the right 
of the tribune, called after him the Sixtine, and Paul V., 
1605-21, constructed that, corresponding to it on the 
opposite side, which, after his family name, is called the 
Borghese Chapel. In 1593 Cardinal Domenico Pinelli 
restored the mosaics of the frieze made by Sixtus III. 

Up to the middle of the last century the exterior of the 
Basilica preserved all its original characteristics, when 
Benedict XIV., 1740-58 employed Ftrdinando Fuja to 
modernise it. The portico, built by Eugenius III., was 
thrown down, and the beautiful mosaic on the front hidden 
by constructions, which, notwithstanding they possess a 
certain amount of palatial grandeur, are no compensation 
for what they conceal. Fortunately the construction of the 
upper portico permitted parts of the mosaic being left un- 
covered. 

At the end of the portico, to the right as we enter, is a 
bronze statue of Philip IV. of Spain, by Lucent i. 

The aisles are divided from the nave by 36 ancient 
columns of Greek marble with Ionic capitals — the spoil of 
some ancient edifice of importance — and four of granite, 



262 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



later additions placed when the line of columns, on the one 
side and the other, was broken, and the arches thrown 
across to form openings into the Sixtine and Borghese 
Chapels, to give the Basilica a cruciform plan. 

The four bas reliefs on the wall of the tribune are fine 
examples of fifteenth century sculpture, and originally 
formed part of the ciborium erected by Cardinal d'Estout» 
ville. They represent — The Birth of Our Saviour, The 
Adoration of the Magi, The Assumption of the Virgin, and 
The Miracle of the Snow. The beautiful confession, in 
front of the high altar, richly decorated with the rarest 
marbles, has recently been constructed by order of Pius IX. 

To the right of the high altar is 

THE SIXTINE CHAPEL, 

built for Sixtus V., by Domenico Fontanel, in 1586. On the 
right is the monumental statue of Sixtus "V., sculptured by 
Gio. Antonio Valsoldo, between four beautiful columns of 
verde antique, and above the statue, a bas relief by the 
same sculptor, representing his coronation. 

On the opposite side is the monumental statue by Leonar- 
do da Sarzana of St. Pius Y., 1566-72, whose remains were 
placed here by Innocent XIL, 1691-1700. It was he who 
excommunicated Queen Elizabeth, gave thanksgivings for 
the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and struck a medal to 
commemorate that event. His body, uncorrupted, and 
dressed in the Pontifical robes, is preserved in the urn of 
precious verde antique below the statue, and is shown to the 
public each year on the 5th of May. 

Above the altar in the middle of the Chapel, the whole of 
which has lately been restored by order of Pius IX., is a 
beautiful gilt bronze ciborium, supported by four angels r 



The Borghese Chapel. 



263 



and richly inlaid with pietra dura. In the subterranean 
Chapel below is a presepio, commonly attributed to Bernini, 
but which was sculptured by Ceccliino da Pietrasanta, and 
opposite to it is a statue of St. Gaetano. 

On the opposite side of the Church, to the left of the 
high altar, is the magnificent 

BOEGHESE CHAPEL, 

erected by Flaminio Ponzio for Paul V., in 1611, and dedi- 
cated to the " Mother of God." The plan is a Greek cross, 
like the Sixtine, and, in addition to a -wealth of sculpture, 
in marble and bronze, fresco paintings, and gilding, expended 
on its embellishment, it is adorned throughout with a 
sumptuous profusion of the rarest marbles excavation among 
the remains of the ruined grandeur of ancient Rome could 
procure. 

The architectural features and sculpture of the altar 
are entirely of bronze gilt, the flutings of the columns 
being inlaid with the richest oriental jasper. Above the 
pediment is a bas relief representing Pope Liberius 
marking out the plan of the Basilica on the snow. 
In a small chamber in the middle, entirely lined with 
lapis lazuli, and closed, except on grand festivals, behind 
small folding doors of a very rare marble, is the portrait of 
the Virgin "piously believed" to have been painted by St. 
Luke. It was this picture which, on the 25th April, 590, 
Saint Gregory carried in procession during the great pesti- 
lence, when, in crossing the Bridge of St. Angelo, he saw 
the Destroying Angel sheathing his sword on the summit 
of the Castle. {See page 46). 

On the left side of the Chapel is the sepulchral monument 
which Paul V. erected to himself. Around the statue of 



264 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



the Pope, sculptured by Tilla da Vigiu, are bas' reliefs 
representing, above, his Coronation, and on the sides, the 
reception of the Envoys of Congo and Japan ; the fortifica- 
tion of Ferrara ; the despatch of troops to the assistance of 
Rudolph II. of Hungary ; and the Canonisation of Sta. 
Francesca Romano and St. Carlo Borromeo. 

On the opposite side is the monument of Clement VIII., 
1592-1605. His statue is by Tilla da Vigiu, and around it are 
bas reliefs representing The Taking of Ferrara, The Ratifi- 
cation of Peace between France and Spain, and other events 
during his reign . 

The beautiful Corinthian Column in front of Sta. Maria 
Maggiore originally belonged to the Basilica of Constantine, 
from whence it was removed by Paul V., in 1613, and placed 
where it now stands, to support the bronze statue of the 
Virgin and Child, by Augustus Bertelot {vide page 142). 

On the left side of the Via St. Antonio, which leads from 
Sta. Maria Maggiore by the left of the column, stands The 
Church of St. Antonio Abbatb, whose temptation by devils 
has formed the subject of so many paintings. It is chiefly 
remarkable for its beautiful 13th century Lombard Gothic 
doorway, one of the very few examples of this style in Rome. 
The Church was built between the years 1259-77 with money 
left for the purpose by Cardinal Pietro Capocci. In 1481 
it was entirely rebuilt, with the exception of the doorway. 
It was in front of this Church, that, on the 17th of January 
of each year, the curious ceremony of blessing the animals 
used to be performed. It has not, in fact, been altogether 
discontinued, but is falling gradually into disuse. 

The curious monument in the form of a cross, opposite to 
this Church, bearing the inscription " In hoc signo vinces" 
was erected in commemoration of the absolution given by 



The CJiurch of Santa Prassecle. 



265 



Clement VIII. to Henry IV. of France, when he seceded 
from the Protestant faith to Eoman Catholicism in 1595. 
Taking onr way along The Via Mertjlana, which leads 
directly from Sta. Maria Maggiore, we see An Ancient 
Arch spanning the end of the first turning to the left, the 
Via di San Vito. It was erected about the year 260 a.d. by 
Marcus Aurelius Victor, Prefect of Rome, to the Emperor 
Gallienus and his wife Salonina. 

The Church at the corner of the Via San Vito was built 
a few years ago by the English Redemptorists, and dedi- 
cated to St. Alphonso Liguori. It is a curious example of 
the full development of English Ritualism into the Roman 
Catholicism of the latter half of the nineteenth century, 
and, with its gaudily jDainted images and other decorations 
of the same character, forms an impressive contrast to the 
many churches of Rome herself, and particularly to the 
devotional simplicity of those of the earliest period.* 

Proceeding a few yards along the Via San Martino — the 
first turning to the right from the Via Merulana — we find, 
on the right, the quaint old portico of 

THE CHUECH OF SANTA PKASSEDE, 

daughter of the Senator Pudens and sister of Santa 
Pudenziana. The earliest record we have of a church dedi- 
cated to this Saint is the mention of a certain Antonio 
Silvano, Titular of Sta. Prassede in the year 318. That 
church was restored by Adrian I., 772-95, and in 816 

* It is commonly m-ged by Ritualists that in the decoration of their churches they 
seek to make them glorious to God through the highest efforts of art with which He 
has gifted man ; but the absolutely false art in this Church, contradictory to fact and 
untrue to nature, servilely imitated from a Monkish period -without attainment to the 
sentiment which animated the artists of those days, may be instructively compared 
with that employed upon the walls of the Church of the Santa Sudari [tee page 204 >, 
recently redecorated throughout with fresco paintings. 



266 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Stephen TV. built the adjoining monastery. Paschal I., 
817-24, rebuilt the primitive church from the foundations, 
at the same time slightly altering its site, and is said to 
have deposited within it the relics of 2,300 martyrs taken 
from the Catacombs. He decorated it richly with mosaics, 
of which those on the vault of the apse, on the arch opening 
upon the tribune, and in the Chapel of St. Zeno, still remain. 
In 1564 St. Carlo Borromeo, then Cardinal Titular of the 
Church, restored it throughout and somewhat modernised 
it, without, however, entirely divesting it of its primitive 
Basilican characteristics. The restorations commenced by 
him were continued and completed by Cardinal Alessandro 
de Medici, who afterwards filled the Papal chair in 1605, as 
Leo XL In 1730 the high altar was reconstructed in the 
form we see by Cardinal Pico della Mirandola. In 1830-31 
the mosaics were repaired in some parts where they had 
become damaged, and during the present Pontificate the 
Church has been entirely repainted. 

In the middle of the nave, towards the door, is a well, in 
which it is said that Sta. Prassede deposited the blood and 
remains of many martyrs. 

The Third Chajjel on the right, unfortunately only open 
to women during the Sundays of Lent, is part of the original 
edifice, as built by Paschal I., and from the great beauty of 
its mosaic decorations is called " The Garden of Paradise." 
It is dedicated to St. Zeno, and is sometimes also called the 
Chapel of the Column, from the column of blood jasper 
preserved within it, which was brought from Jerusalem in 
1223, by Cardinal Giovanni Colonna, and is said to be that 
to which our Saviour was bound during the Flagellation. 
The Chapel is entered by a side door, opposite to which is 



The Ohurch of St. Martino ai Monti. 2G7 



the beautifully sculptured fifteenth, century monument of 
Cardinal Alano Cetive (obit 1474). 

The thirteenth century monument of Cardinal Anchero, 
obit 1286, in the chapel at the end of the right aisle, is well 
■worthy of observation. It is in the form of a recumbent 
figure of the Cardinal lying on a couch covered with richly 
folded drapery, and below, coats of arms in mosaic. It is 
supposed to be the work of one of the Cosmati. 

On the wall to the left on entering is a slab of black and 
white granite, placed between two columns, said to be that 
on which Sta. Prassede used to sleep, to mortify the flesh. 

The Second Chapel to the left is dedicated to St. Carlo 
BoiTomeo, and contains, on the right, the wood of the table 
at which he used to feed and serve twelve poor men daily, 
in the contiguous palace built by him, for the use of the 
Cardinals titular of Sta. Prassede; and ou the left, his 
episcopal chair. The paintings on the side walls are by 
Louis Stern, and represent St. Carlo in Ecstasy before the 
Sacrament ; and St. Carlo Meditating on the Passion of the 
Redeemer. 

In the Sacristy is a fine painting of The Flagellation, by 
Giulio Romano. On the pilasters on each side of the arch 
of the tribune are inscriptions recording a quantity Qf most 
marvellous relics preserved in this Church. 

Turning to the right on leaving Sta. Prassede, we pass the 
house. Xo. 20a, in which the celebrated painter, Domenico 
Zampieri, commonly called Domenichino, lived. 

Continuing onwards as far as IsTo. 69 on the left side, we 
turn into a kind of long courtyard, and enter by a side door 

THE CHUECH OF ST. MARTINO AI MONTI. 
Pope Damasus, in his life of St. Sylvester, has left us the 



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record of that Pope Having founded a Church on this site, 
and says that it was built in the field belonging to the 
priest Ecjuitius. situated near the Baths of Doniitian — 
then confused with the Baths of Trajan. In that Church 
St. Sylvester held a Council abont the year 324:. at which, 
according to some. 254, and to others. 230 Bishops were 
present. Constantine himself, and Calphurnius, Prefect of 
Rome, took part in its sittings. It is not known to whom 
the Church was dedicated, and in all probability it was 
destroyed and buried in its own ruins during one or other 
of the many disasters through which Rome suffered during 
the following 150 years, for we have no further record of 
it from the lime of St. Sylvester till the seventeenth 
century. 

About the year 500. however, Pope St. Symmachus built 
a new Church from the foundations, on or near the same 
spot, and dedicated it to St. Sylvester and to St. Martin, 
Bishop of Tours. It was restored successively by Adrian I. 
772-:'.:- Sergius II. 844-47; Innocent III., 1198-1216; by 
Cardinal Diomed Carafa, nephew of Paul IT., 1555-59; by 
Cardinal — afterwards Saint — Carlo Borromeo, who in the 
time of Pius IT., 1559-66, added the carved wood ceiling. 
In the year 1650 Padre Gio Antonio Pilippini, General of 
the Carmelites, to whom the Church belongs, spent 70,000 
scudi, about £24,000, in modernising it. His successor, 
Padre Francesco Scannapieco, built the facade in 1676, and 
finally, in 1750. the Cardinal Titular Francesco Saverio 
Zelacli. spent about £12,000 more in ornamenting the altar 
and tribune. The columns which divide the aisles from 
the nave were placed by Padre Pilippini in 1650, and it is 
said that they were taken from the ruins of Hadrian's ~\ ilia. 
On the wall of the left aisle is a large fresco, by an 



The Church of St. Martino ai Monti. 2G9 



unknown author, representing the Council held in the 
Primitive Church, about the year 324. 

The Chapel at the end of the left aisle, dedicated to the 
Madonna of Mount Carmel, was built at the end of the 
last century. By the altar are two very beautiful antique 
columns of giallo antico. .The paintings, representing the 
souls in purgatory, over the altar, Elias and the angel, on 
the left wall, and the Madonna giving the dress of the 
Carmelite order to St. Simon Stock, on the vault, are by 
Antonio Gavallucci, and by the same author are the paintings 
on the vault and wall of the apse. The landscapes on the 
walls of this Church are by Gaspar Poussin, with the 
exception of the two nearest to the first altar of the right 
aisle. At the commencement of the wall of the left aisle, 
is a view of the interior of St. John Lateran, before it was 
modernised by Borromini ; and further on, upon the same 
side, a view of the interior of old St. Peter's, both by un- 
known authors. 

The pavement of the Church is curiously formed of 
pieces of marble and tiles combined, and along the sides of 
the nave, against the columns, a number of curious 
sepulchral slabs are ranged, which formed the earlier pave- 
ment. They are engraven with effigies like those cut on 
monumental brasses, and are in a very fine state of preser- 
vation. On the floor of the left aisle, below the picture of 
the Council, are two very curious monumental slabs in relief. 

During the works carried on in 1650, the Primitive 
Church, built by St. Sylvester, was discovered filled with 
accumulation. It was entirely cleared, and, in order to 
give access to it, a curious semi-subterranean Chapel was 
formed, partly by raising the floor of the tribune, and 
partly by lowering that of the confession. 



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Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Descending into this Chapel, an incline on the left leads 
us down into the primitive Church, where the Council, in 
the year 324, was held. It was evidently of great size, but 
it has been so much transformed by massive pilasters built 
within it — either to support the weight above, when it was 
abandoned and filled in, or the better to support the vault 
— on which modern buildings weigh — when it was dis- 
covered, about the year 1650 — that it preserves little of an 
ecclesiastical character beyond the remains of fresco paint- 
ings, now almost entirely obliterated, on the walls, and an 
ancient mosaic of the Madonna. This ancient Church was 
evidently an earlier edifice, adapted to Christian worship, 
but there is no ground whatever for the popular belief that 
it originally formed part of the Thermge, erroneously called 
those of Titus. 

Leaving St. Martino by the principal entrance, we turn 
to the left along a narrow lane, which leads to 

THE CHURCH OF ST. PIETRO IN VINCULI, 

so called because of the chains preserved within it, with 
which it is said St. Peter was bound, when he was im- 
prisoned in Jerusalem by order of Herod, or rather, one 
of the two chains which bound him there, miraculously 
joined to, that he is said to have borne in the Mamertine 
prison. 

According to the legends of the Church, Eudoxia, wife 
of Theodosius the younger, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem 
where Juvenal, the Bishop, presented her with the iron 
chains, ornamented with gold and jewels, which St. Peter 
had worn in prison. One of these she took with her to 
Constantinople, and the other she sent to Rome by her 
daughter — also called Eudoxia, and who became the wife of 



The Church of St. Pietro in Vinculi. 



•271 



Valentinianus III. — who presented it to Leo I., then occupy- 
ing the Papal throne. On receiving it, Leo showed Endoxia 
another chain which had bound St. Peter in Rome, and on 
the two being placed together they at once became 
miraculously united. As regards the Roman chain, it is said 
that Santa Balbina, the daughter of St. Quirinus, Tribune, 
and custode of the Mamertine Prison, being exhorted by 
St. Alexander I., 108-19, besought her father to search 
for the chain which St. Peter had worn, who complying 
with his daughter's request, found it. On her deathbed 
Santa Balbina confided it to the care of Santa Theodora, by 
whom, and by the Pontiffs between her time and that of 
St. Leo, it was preserved with the greatest veneration. In 
commemoration of the miraculous union of the chains, and 
for their preservation, Endoxia founded this Church, about 
the year 442, entitling it San Pietro in Vinculi. It is also 
called the Basilica Endoziana, after its founder. It was 
restored by Pelagius I., 55-5-60. In the eighth century it 
was rebuilt by Adrian I., 772-95. Sixtns IY., 1471-84. re- 
constructed the vault of the Tribune, and Julius II., 1503- 
13, employed Baccio Pinielli to make considerable restora- 
tions. The ceiling of the nave was reconstructed by 
Francesco Fontanel, in 1750, and painted by Gio. Battista 
Parodi. The aisles are divided from the nave by 20 antique 
fluted columns of white marble with Doric capitals, taken 
from some ancient edifice, and the arch of the Tribune is 
supported by two Corinthian columns of grey granite. The 
marble columns measure about seven feet in circumference, 
but have been shortened from their original length. 

The tribune is adorned with frescoes of no very great 
merit by Giacomo del Ifeglio, illustrating events in the life 
of St. Peter. On the lower part of the tribune is the 



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memorial and portrait of Ghiilio Cloyio (died 1578), the 
celebrated miniature painter, many of whose works adorn 
manuscripts in the Vatican Library. 

At the end of the right aisle is Michael Angelo's great 
masterpiece in sculpture, The Moses, which forms the 
central figure of the memorial monument of Julius II., 
whose body lies in a humble sepulchre in St. Peter's. 
There are few works against which so many critical ob- 
jections can be made, and have been made, as upon this 
wonderful statue ; but it is nevertheless one of the 
most marvellous creations ever hewn by the hand of man 
from a block of stone. It is replete throughout with the 
great genius of the sculptor; its majestic aspect almost 
inspires awe in the beholder ; and it is so full of life, that 
one would scarcely be surprised to see it rise from its seat, 
or hear it speak in the commanding tone of the great 
ruler and lawgiver of Israel. Upon the brow is bound 
the symbol of the lawgiver — two small horns. 

This statue was sculptured to form part of the magni- 
ficent cenotaph Julius II. had intended to erect to himself 
under the dome of St. Peter's, but the dissensions which 
arose between the Pope and the sculptor retarded its exe- 
cution, and it was never completed. It was to have been 
of the colossal dimensions of eighteen cubits in length by 
twelve in width, and adorned with forty statues, many of 
which were to have been of bronze. Four of the principal 
statues, representing Active Life, Contemplative Life, St. 
Paul, and Moses, were to occupy the corners, of which 
only this before us was finished, or even commenced. In 
the middle, there was to have been a sepulchral chamber to 
contain the body of the Pope.* 

* For a complete description of the design, see the life of Michael Angelo, written l>y 
his scholar Condivi. 



Church of St. Pietro in Vmculi. 



273 



The successors of Julius finding the completion of this 
colossal conception a work of too great magnitude, it was 
finally renounced, and instead of placing a monument to 
Julius in St. Peter's, this, in which the Moses was utilized, 
was erected here by Paul III., 1534-50. The statue of Leah, 
holding a mirror, symbolic of Active Life, on one side, and 
of Rachel, symbolic of Contemplative Life, on the other, 
are believed to be by Eafaelle di Monte Lupo ; the recum- 
bent figure of the Pope is by Mazo del Bosco ; the Virgin 
and Child by Scherano da Settignano, and the Prophet and 
Sybil are by Bajfaelle di Monte Lupo. 

Over the altar of the chapel at the end of this aisle is 
a picture of St. Margaret, by Guercino. 

To the left of the door, on entering, is the monument, 
with the portraits, of Antonio Pollajuolo, the famous sculp- 
tor and worker in bronze, and his brother Pietro, who 
worked with him. Above is a very curious fresco, illus- 
trating a legend regarding the great plague in 680. 

In the corner, to the left, is an interesting fifteenth- 
century monument, erected in 1465 to Cardinal Nicholas 
de Cusa, of whom the figure kneeling on the left of St. 
Peter is a portrait. 

In the second Chapel to the left is a curious mosaic of 
the seventh century, representing St. Sebastian as an old 
man, placed — originally in the first Chapel — in commemo- 
ration of the great pestilence of 680, from which, it is 
said, Rome was liberated by the intercession of this saint. 

In the Sacristy there is a very beautiful altar of fif- 
teenth-century work ; above which, in a kind of ciborium, 
delicately sculptured, the chains of Peter are preserved. 

In this Church the Popes John II., 532-35, and Gregorr 
VII., 1073-86, Were elected. 

T 



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Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



The adjoining Convent and the Palace for the Titular 
Cardinal were built by Guiliano da Sangallo. 

In the cloisters is a well-head, attributed to Michael 
Angelo ; Titi says it was sculptured by Simone Mosca. 

The Monastery opposite belongs to the Maronite Monks. 

The house on the right is reputed to have been that of 
Lucretia Borgia — and if we pass under the archway a very 
picturesque balcony belonging to it will be seen on the 
other side. The square tower beyond — now the belfry 
of the Church of St. Francesco di Paola — was originally 
the watch tower of the Frangipani fortress. 

In the vineyard, to the left of the Church — the entrance 
to which is from the lane called the Via della Polveriera 
on the left — there are some magnificent pieces of ruin, the 
remains of The Baths of Trajan, vulgarly called The 
Baths of Titus, standing above the remains of Nero's 
Golden House (see page 1 64) ; but it is not easy to obtain 
admittance to the vineyard. 

The lane to the left of the Church leads — by keeping to 
the right — to the south-west side of the Colosseum ; and, 
by keeping to the left, to the Via Labicana, where the 
entrance to the remains of the G-olden House of Nero, 
commonly called the Baths of Titus, will be found imme- 
diately on the left after descending the incline ; and on 
the right is The Colosseum. 

AROUND THE PANTHEON. 

From the Piazza di Spagna we pass down the Via Con- 
dotti, and crossing the Corso, a little to the right, to the 
Via Tomacelli, which opens between Nos. 421 and 422, con- 
tinue along it to The Ripetta. This quay, or flight of 



The Church of St. Agostino. 



275 



steps leading down to the edge of the Tiber, was built by 
Clement XI., 1700-21, with stones taken from the 
Colosseum. 

The river can be crossed at this point by means of the 
ferry boat, and from the other side there is a very pleasant 
walk — across what are believed to have been the fields of 
Cincinnatus — leading by the back of the Castle of St. 
Angelo to the Porta Angelica, and thence to St, Peter's. 

On the wall of the house to the left of the Ripetta, as we 
look towards the river, is a brass guage, on which are 
marked the heights reached by the various inundations of 
the Tiber. 

The Church opposite to this, dedicated to St. Rocco, was 
originally built in 1499. In 1657 it was amplified and 
modernised by Antonio de Rossi, and in 1834 the facade 
was built by Valadier. 

Immediately opposite the steps of the Ripetta is The 
Church op St. Girolamo degli Schiavoni, built for Sixtus 
V., in 1588, by Martino Lunghi the elder, and Giovanni 
Fontana. 

Continuing, with the river on our right, along the Via 
Ripetta, which, after crossing the Via Fontanella Borghese, 
takes the name of Via della Scrofa, we reach, on the right, 
the short Via di S. Antonino dei Portoghesi, at the bottom 
of which is a short mediasval tower, called the Torre della 
Scimia. This is the "Hilda's Tower" of Hawthorne's 
novel of the Marble Faun. 

The next street on the same side is the Via di S. A^os- 
tino, where, a few yards on the right, stands 

THE CHUBCH OF ST. AGOSTINO, 
founded in 1484, by Cardinal Gilglielmo d'Estoutville. 



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Tourist's Handbook to Borne 



It was built by Baccio Pmtelli, the famous architect of 
that period, with stone taken from the Colosseum.. The 
interior was restored by Vanvitelli in 1750, and is now 
again undergoing complete restoration. The cupola of 
this church was the first erected in Eome. 

The chief objects of interest here are a Fresco of Isaiah 
and two angels, holding a tablet, by Raphael; on the 
third pilaster, to the left of the nave — much injured 
through having been retouched by Daniele da Yolterm — 
and the group of The Virgin and Chile, immediately to 
the left, on entering by the door to the right of the main 
entrance. It was sculptured by Giacomo Tatti da tiansovino, 
and is. for the time being, the favourite Madonna of Rome, 
having superseded in popular estimation that over the third 
altar to the left, in the Pantheon, This idol is believed to be 
endowed with supernatural power ; prayers made to it are 
supposed to be especially efficacious in their results ; it is 
literally covered with necklaces, brooches, rings, watches, 
bracelets, and other votive offerings of value : its foot — 
close to which is a little money box — is covered with 
metal, to protect it from being worn by the constant 
kissing it receives ; the walls around are hung with 
votive pictures, representing the cures from illness and 
protection from the fatal remits of accidents, which imme- 
diate praver to it have obtained ; before it hang many 
silver lamps, constantly burning ; and on the floor, in front, 
a number of the devout may always be seen kneeling in 
praver. There can be no question here that the prayers 
are made to the statue, and not to the personage it 
represents. 

Returning to the left, on leaving the Church, and con- 
tinuing for a short distance along the Via della Scrofa — the 



The Church of St. Luigi del Francesi, 277 

first turning to the right — the street widens into the small 
Piazza San Luigi dei Francesi ; on the right side of 
which is 

THE CHUBCH OF ST. LUIGI DEI FRANCESI, 

the National Church of the French people, and especially 
placed under the protection of that nation. It was built by 
Giacomo delta Porta, chiefly at the expense of Catherine de 
Medicis, and. was dedicated on the 8th of October, 1589, to 
the Virgin Mary, St. Denis, and St. Louis, King of France. 
It contains a number of monuments to Frenchmen of dis- 
tinction who died in Rome, and among others, to the 
celebrated archaeologist, Seroux d'Agincourt, in the last 
chapel on the right, and to Claude Lorrain, on one of the 
pilasters of the left aisle. 

The second chapel on the right, dedicated to St. Cecilia, 
is celebrated for the fine frescoes by Domewichino with which 
it is decorated. On the vault : Angels offering crowns to 
St. Cecilia and her husband Valerian ; St. Cecilia borne to 
heaven by angels ; and St. Cecilia refusing to worship 
idols. The large fresco on the left wall represents her 
martyrdom, and that on the right, her distributing her 
clothes among the poor. The painting over the altar is a 
copy by Guido from Raphael's picture of St. Cecilia, now 
in the Gallery at Bologna. 

The fourth chapel on the right, dedicated to St. Denis, 
has a fresco by Girolamo Sieciolatite on the right wall. The 
fresco on the left wall and the battles on the vault were 
painted by Pellegruio da Bologna. 

Over the high altar is a fine Assumption by Bassano. 

In the chapel, to the left of the high altar, dedicated to 
St. Matthew, the altar piece, and the paintings on the side 



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Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



walls, representing the calling of St. Matthew, and his 
martyrdom, are by Michael Angeio da Garavaggio. 

Returning along the left aisle, the last chapel contains a 
St. Sebastian bonnd to a tree, by Girolamo Massei. 

The large building, to the right of the Church as we leave 
it, was built by Paolo Marucelli, in 1642, for Catherine de 
Medicis, and called the Palazzo Madama. The interior 
has recently been altered to serve as the Chamber for The 
Italian Senate. 

Turning to the right, and passing between the Senate 
House and the side of the Church of St. Luigi dei Francese, 
we cross the small Piazza Madama into the short street 
called the Corsia Agonale on the opposite side, but a little 
to the left, and from it enter 

THE PIAZZA NAVONA, 

one of the largest Piazzas in Rome, measuring 10,924 
square metres. It is in the form of a parallelogram, one 
end of which approaches a semicircle, and preserves the- 
ground plan of The Circus Alexander also called The 
Circus Agone or Agonalis, on the foundations of the seats 
of which the houses are built. The name of the Piazza is M 
a corruption from Agone to Nagone, Nagona, Navona. 

In the centre is The Grand Fountain, erected by Bernini 
for Innocent X., 1644-55. From within a circular basin, 
measuring 73 feet in diameter, rises a mass of perforated 
rockwork, to which are chained four colossal emblematical 
figures, representing the four principal rivers of the world, 
The Danube, The Ganges, The Nile, and The Rio della 
Plata. The Mississippi was then unknown. On the sum- 
mit stands an Egyptian obelisk ; that which ornamented 
the spina of the Circus of Romulus. {Seepage 227.) 



The Church of Sta. Maria della Pace. 279 

Crossing the Piazza, and continuing along the Via di 
S. Agnese immediately opposite, as far as the second turning 
to the right, we shall find 

THE CHUECH OF STA. MAKIA DELLA PACE, 
built by Baccio Pintelli for Sixtus IV., 1471-84. In 1611 
the tribune and high altar were constructed by Carlo 
Mademo, at the expense of Monsignore Gaspare Rivaldi. 
It was restored throughout by Alexander VII., 1655-67, 
and the actual f acade and portico built by Pietro da Cortona. 
The chief object of interest in this Church is the fresco of 
The Sybils, by Raphael — the Cumoean, Persic, Phrygian, 
and Tibertine, on the wall above the arch of the first chapel 
to the right, belonging to the Chigi family. The prophets 
above the cornice were painted from Raphael's drawings, 
by Rosso the Florentine. The commission to paint these 
frescoes was given to Raphael by the celebrated banker, 
Agostino Chigi. The bronze bas relief within the chapel, 
the statue of Sta.' Catherine of Siena, and two chernbs 
bearing the instruments of the Passion, on the right, are 
the work of Cosimo Fancelli ; the statue of St. Bernardino 
and the two cherubs, on the left, are by Frcole Ferrata. 

The second chapel on the right — of the Cesi family — 
was designed by Michael Angelo. The beautiful arabesques 
on the front were sculptured by Simone Mosca. The Adam 
and Eve on the upper portion was painted by Filippo Lauri. 
The picture above the altar is by Carlo Cesi, and the four 
paintings on the vault, by Sicciolante. 

The four large paintings below the cupola are — The 
Visitation, by Carlo Maratta ; The Presentation in the 
Temple, by Baldassare Peruzzi ; The Nativity of the Virgin, 
by Francesco Vanni; and the Death of the Virgin, by 
Morandi. 



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Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



The statues of Justice and Truth above the frontispiece 
of the high altar, were sculptured by Stefano Maderno. 
The Birth of the Virgin and the Annunciation, on the side 
walls, are by Passignani. The figures of St. Cecilia and 
St. Catherine of Siena, painted within the pilaster on one 
side, and of St. Augustine and Sta. Chiara, within that on 
the other, are by Lavinia Fontana. 

In the chapel, to the left of the high altar, is a very 
beautifully sculptured altar-piece of the fifteenth century, 
from which the centre has been cut away to convert it into 
a kind of frame for the large crucifix of wood. 

Over the altar of the last chapel, to the right on leaving 
the Church, is a fine fresco by Baldassare Peruzzi, which 
was discovered about forty years ago, beneath another 
subject painted over it at a later period. It represents the 
Madonna and St. Brigida, before whom Ferdinando Ponzetti 
— the founder of the chapel — is kneeling. The two delicately 
carved monuments to members of the Ponzetti family, on 
the external sides of this chapel, are well worthy of exam- 
ination, as beautiful examples of fifteenth century work. 
That on the right was erected to two children, Beatrice and 
Lavinia, who died of the plague on the same day, in 1505. 
Their portraits are charmingly sculptured. 

Returning to the Piazza Navona. On the side to the 
right, is the beautiful little 

GHUECH OF ST. AGNES, 

which stands on the site of the fornices in the Circus 
Agonalis, where it is believed the Virgin Saint and Martyr 
was exposed by order of Sempronius, Prefect of Borne, 
under Maxentius, in the year 310. In process of time these 
Jornices were converted into an Oratory, of which there is 



The Church of St. Agnes. 



281 



record from as early as the eighth century. On the 28th 
January, 1123, it was reconsecrated to St. Agnes by 
Callixtus II., and in a Bull of Urban III., 1185-87, it is 
called Ecclesia S. Agnetis de Cryptis Agonis. Between that 
time and the year 1384, a Parish Church was built above 
it — but at what exact date is not known — for in that year 
Sta. Francesa Roniana was baptized within it. In the year 
1652, Innocent X. decided to rebuild the Church from the 
foundations, and employed Girolamo Rainaldi to make the 
plan and designs, but difficulties arising between the Pope 
and the architect, the execution of the work was confided 
to Borromini, who had completed the edifice as far as the 
vault of the church and the cupola, when he died ; the re- 
mainder, including the lantern of the cupola, was finished 
by Carlo Rainaldi, the son of Girolamo. 

The interior affords an example — very rare in Rome — of 
unity of design and decoration throughout, and an oppor- 
tunity of examining good examples of the sculpture of the 
Bernini school, which, though theatrical and florid in style, 
is not without a certain merit of its own. The plan is a 
Greek cross. 

Above the altar, at the right end, is a statue of St. Agnes, 
by Ercole Ferrata, and opposite to it, above the altar at the 
left end, a statue of St. Sebastian, said to be an antique 
statue altered to represent this saint, by Paolo Campi. 

Above the high altar is a grand alto-relief, by Domenico 
Guidi, representing the Virgin and Child, with St. John, 
St. Joseph, St. Joachim, and. angels. 

At the angles of the cruciform plan, which are chamf erred 
and formed into chapels, are the following four large alto- 
reliefs. Commencing from the right. The Death of St. 
Alexis, by Francesco Rossi; The Martyrdom of St. Emeren- 



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Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



tiana. by Ereole Ferrata ; The Martyrdom of St. Cecilia, 
by Antonio Raggi ; and St. Eustachius and his children 
among the wild beasts in the amphitheatre, by Mehhior 
Cafa and Ereole Ferrata. 

Above the door is the curiously arranged monument of 
Innocent X.. by Maini. 

The frescoes in the cnpola were commenced by Giro Ferri 
and completed by Corhellini. 

Above the altar in the subterranean Chapel, said to mark 
the spot where St. Agnes was exposed, is an alto-relief 
representing the Saint, with her long hair covering her, 
com m only attributed to Algoirdi, but probably the work of 
his scholar, Bomenico Ghitdi. The place said to have been 
her prison, and the spot where she was beheaded and burned, 
is shown in this subterranean Chapel. 

Retracing our steps across the piazza and by the streets 
through which we entered it, and recrossing the Piazza 
Madania into the Via del Salvatore, between the Senate 
House and the Church of St. Luigi dei Francese, we con- 
tinue in a direct line along the Via Griustiniani till we 
enter a square piazza with a fountain in the centre, and see 
before us 

THE PANTHEON, 

which carries us back to 27 years before the Christian era. 
With the exception of the external decoration of the inner 
and outer walls, it stands entire, as at the moment when 
completed; an example of how many other of the grand 
edifices of ancient Rome might have come down to us com- 
paratively intact had they not been wantonly destroyed to 
afford building materials for the modern city. The Goths 
and Vandals who accomplished all this ruthless destruction 



The Pantheon. 



283 



were no other than the Romans themselves, a fact to which 
the history of this building alone bears eloquent evi- 
dence. 

The Pantheon was built by Marcus Agrippa, the son-in- 
law of Augustus, to serve as the Laconicum or Sudatorium 
of his Thermas — the first of these great bathing establish- 
ments erected in Rome — but, for some cause unknown to 
us, instead of applying it to the purpose for which it was 
intended, Agrippa converted it into a Temple dedicated to 
Jupiter the Avenger, and all the gods. We must either 
suppose that its founder, admiring the harmony of its pro- 
portions and the grandeur resulting from them, conceived 
the idea of devoting it to the service of the gods, or, what 
is more probable, that being the first edifice of the kind 
erected in Rome, there was some radical defect in its con- 
struction which unfitted it for a hot air bath ; possibly the 
Romans were not sufiiciently acquainted with the mechan- 
ism of these establishments to work it successfully on so 
large a scale. Be this as it may, there can be no doubt as 
to the original intention of the building, or that the magni- 
ficent portico of sixteen columns, monoliths, of Egyptian 
granite, which formed no part of the original construction, 
was added as part of the requisites for converting the 
edifice into a Temple. 

The pediment was ornamented with a grand bas-relief 
in bronze, representing Jove hurling his thunderbolts 
against the Titans ; on the summit was a bronze 
statue of Jupiter Tonans in a quadriga — a four-horse 
chariot ; and at the corners were bronze bulls, the whole 
executed by Diogenes of Athens, who, according to Pliny, 
was the sculptor who made all the bronze ornaments 
of the Pantheon. The dome was covered with plates of 



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Tourists Handbook to Borne. 



bronze gilt, and the casing of the ceiling and beams of the 
portico was of the same material. 

Passing into the interior we see a large semi-circular 
niche, facing the door, in which stood the statne of the 
principal deity. Jupiter the Avenger, with, on each side, 
three rectangular niches, or recesses, for the statues of 
Mars : of Venus : of Romulus, or Quirinus, the founder of 
the city ; of Juno, its protectress : of Pallas ; and, accord- 
ing to the testimony of Dion Cassius, of the Deified Julius. 
The statue of Venus had ear-rings made from the fellow 
pearl to that which Cleopatra melted and drank. 

The beautiful Corinthian columns of Phrygian and Nu- 
rn.id.ian marble, each measuring 35 feet in height and 3f in 
diameter, which support the architraves of the recesses are 
antique, parts of the structure itself standing where they 
were originally placed. Occupying the spaces between these 
recesses are eight JUdicid^. also believed to be integral parts 
of the building, but now converted into Christian altars. 
Above the cornice supported by these columns were carya- 
tides of bronze, by Diogenes of Athens. 

Consecrated by Agrippa to Jupiter the Avenger and all 
the gods, in the year 27. B.C., it was damaged by fire in 
the time of Titus, a.d. 80, and was repaired by Domitian 
in the year 93. In the time of Trajan it was again 
injured by fire through being struck by lightning in 
the year 110. This damage was repaired by Hadrian, 
and the building is also believed to have been restored 
by Antoninus Pins. In the year 202 it was again 
restored by Septimius Severus, as recorded by an in- 
scription in small letters on the architrave of the portico. 
In the year 399 it was, together with all the other pagan 
temples in Pome, closed by the law of Honorius, and so 



The Pautheov. 



285 



remained till between the years 606 and 607, when Boniface 
TV., who was elected in 608 to fill the Papal chair, made a 
petition to the Emperor Phocas — whose column erected at 
that time still stands on the Forum — for this building, and 
consecrating it to the service of the Christian religion 
dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs, on the 
13th of May, in — it is believed — the year 610. Prepara- 
tory to this dedication, Boniface removed twenty-eight cart 
loads of bones from the Catacombs, and deposited them in 
the neighbourhood of the high altar. 

With the exception that the statues of the Pagan deities 
were removed, and such other alterations made in the 
interior as were requisite for the conversion of the edifice 
into a Christian Church, it remained in all its original 
integrity until the year 645, when the Emperor, Constans II., 
stripped the bronze covering from the dome, and shipped 
it for Constantinople. He did not, however, profit much 
by his plunder. While on his way back to Constantinople 
he was murdered at Syracuse, and the vessels carrying the 
bronze were captured by the Saracens. The dome, thus 
despoiled of its bronze covering, remained exposed to the 
intemperature of the weather for upwards of seven cen- 
turies, until Martin V. commenced in 1425 to re-cover it 
with lead. The work was continued by his successor, 
Eugenius IV., and completed by Nicholas V. in 1452. 

Eugenius IV. not only continued the work of covering 
the dome with lead, but also cleared the portico of a number 
of shops and taverns, which had been built up within and 
against it ; and while doing this, and lowering the level in 
front, he discovered there, the magnificent Porphyry bath — 
popularly called the urn of Marcus Agrippa — which now 
serves as the sarcophagus to the monument of Clement XII. 



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Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



in the Corsini Chapel at the Lateran {see page 179). A 
lion in basalt; a bronze head, supposed to be that of 
Agrippa ; and the hoof of a bronze horse, with a fragment 
of a bronze wheel, which, in all probability, were fragments 
of the four-horse chariot that surmounted the pediment, 
were found at the same time. 

Even as recently as the 17th century the Pantheon 
suffered at the hand of the spoiler. In the year 1632, 
Urban VUX removed the bronze covering of the beams of 
the portico, that he might use the material for the construc- 
tion of the bronze Baldachino under the dome of St. Peter's, 
and towards the casting of a hundred pieces of cannon for 
the Castle of St. Angelo.* It was then that the famous 
pasquinade appeared against Urban VIII., who belonged to 
the Barberini family, " Quod non fecerunt Barbari fecerunt 
Barherini." An inscription to the left of the door records 
this act of Vandalism. At the same time, however, Urban 
replaced the column at the left angle of the portico, which 
had fallen or been removed. In 1662, Alexander VII* 
substituted for the other columns, wanting at this point, 
two of oriental granite, found in pieces near the Church of 
St. Luigi dei Prancese. 

In the year 1270, the clergy of this Church had built 
a rough bell tower upon it. This was removed by 

* The weight of metal abstracted from the Pantheon by Urban VIII. was no less 
than 450,250 lbs., to which were added 37,508 lbs. taken from other ancient edifices ; and 
of this, the cannon for the Castle of St. Angelo alone absorbed 448,266 lbs., the value of 
which was estimated at the time at a sum equal to about £13,500 of our money. The 
remainder of the metal was used for the Baldachino of St. Peter's. When the bronze 
taken by Urban from the beams of the portico alone weighed 450,000 lbs., what must 
have been the weight of that carried off by Constans II., which formed the entire 
covering of the dome. If, to this, we add the bronze bas relief in the pediment, the 
quadriga, and the bulls above the pediment, the bronze caryatides within, the bronze 
capitals of which Pliny speaks, and the bronze door still existing, we may be able to 
farm some idea of the wealth of material lavished upon this edifice, and that at a time 
when a certain amount of republican simplicity was still observed by the Romans in 
the decoration of then buildings. 



The Pantheon. 



287 



Urban VIII. , who employed Bernini to re-disfigure the 
building by erecting tlie twin towers, one at each end of 
the pediment. 

The last act of spoliation was committed in 1747, by 
Benedict XIY., who removed all the ancient marble and 
porphyry panelling from the attic, for which he substituted 
the wretched painted imitation we see.* 

The portico measures 110 feet in length by -14 feet in 
depth. The sixteen columns — placed so that 8 show on the 
front and 3 on the sides — measure 47 feet in height, in- 
cluding the base and capital, and 5 feet in diameter. 

The opening of the doorway measures 32 feet by 20, 
the upper 8 feet being closed by a bronze grating, which, 
like the bronze doors, is ancient and in its original place. 
The threshold is formed by one immense block of Chian 
marble, now called Africano. The flooring of the interior 
has been recently relaid with marble slabs, cut from the 
blocks found at the ancient Marmorata in 1867. 

The interior measures 143| feet in diameter, or 2| feet 
more than that of the dome of St. Peter's. The diameter 
through the walls is 190 feet. The height from the floor 
to the apex through the opening isl57i feet. The opening 
in the dome is 28 feet in diameter, and within it is a ring: 
of metal, all that remains of the bronze decorations. There 
are no works of art in this Church especially worthy of re- 
mark. The best are — the group of St. Anne and the Virgin, 
by Lorenzo Ottoni, in the fifth chapel on the right, and the 

* When, in the history of the edifice, we have evidence of its having been despoiled 
of its materials and decoration three times after it was consecrated a Christian 
Church, viz.: first, of the bronze covering of the dome, by Constans II.. in 6<i3; 
secondly, of the bronze from the portico, by Urban VIII., in 1632: and thirdly, of the 
marble panelling of the attic, by Benedict XIV., in 1747, it is scarcely necessary to 
enquire by whom that ruthless destruction of the edifices of Pagan Home was accom- 
plished, which has been so conveniently shifted on to the shoulders of those much- 
wronged people, the Goths and Vandals. 



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Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



monument of Cardinal Consalvi, Secretary of State under 
Pins VJLLj by Thorwaldsen — not one of his best works— in 
the Chapel of the Crucifix, on the left of the high altar. 

In a chamber at the back of the third altar on the left, 
and under the statue of the once popular Madonna, which 
has been superseded by that at the Church of St. Agostino 
(seepage 275), lie the remains of the Prince of Painters 
Raphael d'Urbixo. Some controversy having arisen as to 
the correctness of Yasari's record regarding the resting- 
place of Raphael, search was made in the year 1833. and on 
the 14th September the remains were found intact. When 
his will was opened, after his death, on the 6th of April, 
1520, it was found that he had selected this spot as his 
place of sepulture, directing that the altar should be restored, 
and a statue of the Madonna — that now before us — by 
Lorenzetio, placed above it. It was this same Lorenzetto 
who carved the statue of Jonah in the Chigi Chapel, in Sta. 
Maria del Popolo, from Raphael's model. 

Turning to the right, on leaving the Pantheon, and as- 
cending the incline by the side of the building, we enter the 
Piazza della Minerva, on the further side of which is the 
Church of 

SAXTA MAEIA SOPEA MEfERTA. 

On the wall of the facade to the right of the entrances, 
are a number of small marble slabs marking the different 
heights fay which the water of the Tiber reached in this Pia z z a 
during the great inundations, from that of 1422 to the last 
in December, 1870. 

This Church is called Sta. Maria Sopra Minerva from its 
standing upon the lTiins of a Temple to that deity, sup- 
posed, by some authorities, to be the same dedicated by 



Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. 



289 



Pompey, after his victories in Asia. The Senate and 
people of Rome having given, in the year 1370, a smaller 
church which occupied this site — built during the Pontifi- 
cate of S. Zaccharia, about 750 — to the monks of the 
Dominican order, they determined to rebuild it on a larger 
scale, and collecting alms, and by the aid of different 
wealthy personages who undertook the expense of distinct 
portions, succeeded in raising this edifice. It is the only 
example in Rome of pointed Italian Gothic. It has recently 
been restored at the expense of about £23,000, and some- 
what gaudily decorated. The seemingly beautiful clustered 
columns of Carystian marble which divide the double aisles 
on each side from the nave, are in reality artificial — 
they are made of scagliola, with the exception only of the 
lower four or five feet, of eacli. 
Passing up the right aisle. 

Fourth Chapel. Frescoes on the vault by Muziano. 

Fifth Chapel, dedicated to the Annunciation. Built by 
Carlo Maderno. Frescoes on the vault by Cesar •e Nebbia. 
Over the altar a very fine Annunciation, commonly attri- 
buted to Fra Angelico da Fiesole, but believed to be by 
Benozzo GozzolL It contains the portrait of Cardinal Torre- 
cremata, who was living five years after Fra Angelico died, 
in 1455. On the left is the monument of Urban VII., 
1590, with his statue, sculptured by Ambrozio Buonvicino. 

Sixth Citapel, belonging to the Aldobrandini family, built 
by Giacomo delta Porta. Over the altar is a Last Supper, 
by Federico Barocci. On the right side is the monument of 
Silvestro Aldobrandini — died 1558 — the father of Clement 
VIII., by Stefano Maderno. The recumbent statue of the 
defunct, and those of Strength and Prudence on the sides, 
are by Niccolo Cordieri. 
v 



290 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Opposite, on the left, is the monument of Luisa Deti — 
died 1557 — the wife of Silvestro Aldobrandini, and mother 
of Clement VIII. ; the recumbent statue of the defunct and 
the statue of Charity on the left are by Cordieri, the statu© 
of Religion on the right is by Camillo Mariani. 

Chapel of the Crucifix, on the right as we enter the right 
transept. Above the altar, is a Crucifixion painted in 
tempera, said to be hj Giotto. 

Chanel of St. Thomas Aquinas, at the end of the right 
transept, belonging to the Oarafta family, contains some 
fine Frescoes by Filippq Lippi. The painting on the altar 
wall represents two scenes, the Annunciation, and St. Thomas 
Aquinas, presenting the donor, Cardinal Oliviero Caraffa, 
to the Virgin; and the Assumption, with the Apostles 
below. The painting on the right wall is The Disputation 
of St. Thomas. The Angels and Sybils on the walls were 
painted by liaffaellino del Garbo. Against the left wall is 
the monument of Paul IV., 1555-59, the founder of the 
Inquisition ; the statue of the Pope is by Giacomo Casignola. 

On the wall to the left, looking towards the chapel, is 
the interesting monument of Guglielmus Durandus, ob. 
1290, ornamented with mosaic, by Giovanni Cosmati. 

Chapel of the Altieri Family, the first on a line with the 
tribune, contains an altar piece by Carlo Maratta, represen- 
ting St. Peter presenting to the Virgin the five saints 
canonized by Clement X., who was a member of the Altieri 
family. On the floor is a monumental slab in relief of one 
of the Altieri, who died in 1431, at the age of 110 ; and 
of another who died at the age of 90. 

Chapel of the Eosary, adjoining. Frescoes on the vault re- 
presenting the fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary, by Marcello 
Venusti. Frescoes on the side walls ; incidents in the life of 



Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. 



291 



St. Catherine of Siena, by Giovanni de'Vecchi. The Madonna 
iind Child over the altar is attributed to Fra Angelico. 
Beneath this altar reposed the remains of St. Catherine of 
Siena, but within the last few years they have been removed 
to the high altar, where they lie in a marble sarcophagus, 
surmounted by a recumbent figure of the Saint, before 
which lamps are always burning. 

On the right of the altar is a statue of John the Baptist, 
recently sculptured by Obici, and on the left a statue of 
Christ, by Michael Angela ; the brass drapery is an addition, 
and the foot has been covered with brass to prevent its being 
injured by kissing. 

Within the choir — which has beautiful stained glass win- 
dows of modern manufacture — are the monuments of two 
of the Medici Popes, Leo X., 1530-22, and Clement VII., 
1523-34, both sculptured by Baccio Baiidinelli, with the ex- 
ception of the statue of Leo, which is by Baffaello di Monte 
Lupo, and the statne of Clement, by Giovanni di Baccio 
Bigio. 

Chapel of St. Domenic, at the end of: the left transept, 
■ornamented with black columns, contains the monument of 
Benedict XIII. , 1724-30, who belonged to the Dominican 
order, designed by Carlo Marchionni, who also sculptured 
the bas relief and the angels holding the Pope's arms ; the 
statue of the Pope and of the Virtue on the right are by 
Pietro Bracci ; and the Virtue on the left is by PincellottL 

Returning down the left aisle, 

Second Chapel, dedicated to St. James. The picture of 
the Saint over the altar is by Marcello Venusti. Against the 
right wall is a grand statue of The Angel of the Resur- 
rection, forming part of the monument by Tenerani, erected 
to the Duchess Lanti, oh. 1840. 



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Tourist's Handbook to H-ome. 



Fourth Chapel, dedicated to the Saviour and St. Filippo 
lS"eri, contains statues of John the Baptist and of St. Sebas- 
tian, by Mino da Fiesoli. 

The Popes Eugenius IV., 1431-47, and Nicholas V., 
1447-55, were elected in this Church. 

Turning to the left, by the side of the Church, and then 
taking the first turning to the right, we reach the Convent, 
which, until recently, was the head-quarters of the Jesuits, 
and their principal Church, 

THE GESU. 

On the site where this Church and enormous Convent 
stand were two blocks of buildings divided by a street, and 
in each a Church, one dedicated to the Virgin, and the 
other to St. Andrew. 

These were thrown down by Cardinal Alexander Farnese. 
in 1543, to make room for the General's house, founded 
that year, and in 1568 the Church was commenced by Vig- 
nola, who carried up the walls as far as the cornice. After 
his death, the work was continued by Giacomo delta Porta, 
by whom the facade was designed. 

Upon no Church of the same size in Eome has so much 
been expended on the decoration of the interior, with so 
little effect. The walls and vaultings are covered with 
sculpture, painting, gilding, and a profusion of the rarest 
marbles, to an extent which only escapes vulgarity through 
the superlative costliness of the materials. The eye becoming 
wearied by the excess of ornamentation thrown together 
without taste or style, is content to rest on details 
which, if skilfully put together, would have produced infi- 
nitely greater results. 



The Gesu. 



293 



The frescoes on the ceiling painted in illustration of the 
passage, In Nomine Jesu omne genu flectatur, are by 
Baciccio, as also those within the cupola and the vault of 
the tribune. The high altar was designed by Giacomo 
della Porta ; the picture of the infant Saviour in the Temple 
is a recent work by Capalti. The front of the altar is 
panelled with veneers cut from a block of a very remark- 
able variety of spata fluore, supposed to be the celebrated 
Murrhine stone of antiquity, discovered some years ago at 
the Marruorata. The beautiful antique pale green marble, 
with white almond-shaped marks, of which the altar rail is 
made, is well worthy of examination. 

The chief point of interest in the Church is the Chapel 
of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of " the Society of 
Jesus," which fills the end of the left transept. Notwith- 
standing a superabundance of ornamentation, the costly ma- 
terials are here put together with a sumptuous magnificence 
approaching grandeur. The flutings of the bronze Corin- 
thian columns are veneered with lapis-lazuli* In the pedi- 
ment forming one of the accessories to the group of the 
Trinity, is a globe of lapis-lazuli of immense value. Within 
the niche above the altar — in front of which is an oil paint- 
ing which serves as a kind of curtain — stands a silver 
statue of St. Ignatius, studded with jewels, nine feet in 
height, wrought by Gio Federico Ludovisi from the model 
by Le Gros. At the base of this statue are two angels with 
cornucopias in their hands and holding between them a 
tablet on which are inscribed the words ad Majojrem Dei 
Gloriam. On each side of the altar is a dramatic group 
of sculpture ; one representing The Faith triumphing over 
Idolatry, by Theodon; the other, Religion beating down 
Heresy, by Pierre Le Gros. 



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Tourist' s Handbook to Rome. 



(Turning to the left from this Church, a few hundred 
yards,' brings us to the Capitol.) 

Proceeding along the Via Cesarini, immediately opposite 
the Gesu, and continuing onwards in a direct course, we 
find in the line of the houses on the left, and near the end 
of the street, the small Church of the Stsimo. Sudario, the 
national Church of the Savoyards, recently redecorated 
with great taste. The royal family regularly attend Mass 
here, the Church being the private property of the house of 
Savoy. At the end of the street we find 

ST. ANDKEA DELL A VALLE. 
a handsome Church, commenced in 1591, from the de- 
signs of Olirieri, and completed by Carlo 3faderno, with the 
exception of the facade, which was built by Carlo JRainaldi. 

It is chiefly celebrated for the frescoes, by Domenichino, 
on the vault of the tribune. They are classed among his 
finest works, but notwithstanding their excellence, they 
were so severely criticised at the time, that he is reported 
to have gone to look at them in despair; and, after ex- 
amining them for some time, to have turned away, saying, 
" they did not seem to him to be so very bad." 

In the centre is the calling of Peter and Andrew ; on the 
right the Flagellation of St. Andrew ; on the left, St. 
Andrew being led to Martyrdom on the Cross ; and above, 
his Glorification. On the summit : St. John the Baptist, 
pointing out our Saviour to St. Andrew and John, the son 
of Zebedee, and saying, " Behold the Lamb of God," &c. 

The Evangelists, in the angles above the four piers which 
support the cupola, are also by Domenichino. The interior 
of the cupola, which measures 55 feet in diameter, and is 
the largest in Rome after St. Peter's, was entirely painted 
by Lanfranco. The arrangement of the Glory is very 



St. Andrea della Valla. 



295 



fiae, and particularly so when seen exactly from the 
centre of pavement, so that the windows of the lantern 
throw a complete circle of light. 

The large frescoes on the wall of the tribune, representing 
three incidents in the Martyrdom of St. Andrew, are by 
Ma ttia Preti, Knight of Malta, commonly called II Calabrese. 

On the last piers of the nave, to the right and the left, are 
the carious fifteenth century monuments of the two Popes 
of the Piccolomini family. Pins II., 1458-64, and Pius III., 
1503. These monuments were originally in old St. Peter's, 
and were brought here as being out of character with the 
edifice to which it gave place. 

Buried under the accumulation on which this Church 
and the neighbouring houses stand, are the ruins of The 
Theatre op Pompey and of The Curia of Pompey, where 
Caesar was assassinated. 

Proceeding along the narrow Via cli Massimi, at the 
further corner of the piazza to the left, we pass between 
ISTos. 19 and 17, The Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, so 
called from its curious carved portico in a line with the 
houses. In the drawing-room of this palace is a remark- 
ably fine antique copy of the celebrated Discobolus, by 
Myron — the finest of the several copies found — discovered 
near the Trophies of Marius on the Esquiline in 1761. 

It was in the house adjoining that Conrad Sweynheim 
and Arnold Pannartz established the first printing press 
in Rome, in 1467. 

Continuing onwards, we pass on the right The Church 
0? St. Pantaleone — rebuilt in 1621, and to which a new 
facade was added, by Yaladier. in 1806 — standing in a small 
piazza called after it. Then passing along the short Via 
di St. Pantaleo, we come to Tin: Palazzo Braschi, now The 



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Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Ministry of the Interior, on the right ; and find at the 
farther angle of this building, and facing on a kind of 
triangular piazza, the celebrated fragment of an antique 
group of sculpture, called 

PASQUIN. 

In the days when Rome had no free press, it was on the 
pedestal of this fragment that the Romans used to affix 
those witty epigrams and biting satires on public persons 
and events, at making which they are so apt. Of course? 
they were speedily torn down, but the means of publication 
was sufficient. A written paper at once drew a crowd, and 
the few who had time to read, rapidly passed the pungent 
words along. These pasquinades were sometimes mere 
epigrammatic remarks, by Pasquin alone. At others, they 
were in the form of dialogues, carried on between Pasquin 
and other statues, or fragments of statues, known to the 
people. His chief interlocutors were Marforio, the statue 
of Oceanus, in the Courtyard of the Capitoline Museum of 
Sculpture (see page 117) ; Madama Lucrezia, the battered 
fragment of a colossal statue of Isis, in the Piazza San 
Marco (see page 116) ; The Babutno, the statue of an ape, 
in a niche next to the shop of No. 50, in the Yia Babuino — 
in front of which there was a fountain, recently removed; 
and another old statue, to which the name Abate Luigi was 
given. 

Retracing our steps towards the Palazzo Massimo, we 
find, on the right shortly before reaching it, the Via dei 
Baullari, along which we turn and proceed as far as the 
opening of the Piazza della Caucelleria, the further side of 
which is formed by 



The Palace of the Gancelleria. 



297 



THE PALACE OF THE CANCELLERIA. 

It was founded by Cardinal Ludovico Scarampo Mezzarota, 
and completed in 1517, from the designs of Bramante, by 
Cardinal Raffaello Riario, nephew of Sixtus IV., 1471-84. 
Directly it was finished the office of the Cardinal Vice- 
Chancellor was removed hither from the old Cancelleria, 
now the Sforza-Cesarini Palace. The architecture of the 
doorways was finished somewhat later. That facing upon 
the Piazza was designed by Domenico Fontana, and the 
other, towards the Church of S.S. Lorenzo and Damasus, by 
Vignola. This Palace was entirely constructed with mate- 
rials obtained from ancient edifices ; the travertine was 
taken from the Colosseum and from the Arch of Gordian, 
which spanned the Corso at the corner of the Via Lata 
(see page 103), and was thrown down for that purpose; 
the columns and great masses of red Egyptian granite 
employed in the portico, with a quantity of other material, 
belonged to the Theatre, Portico, and Curia, of Pompey, 
which occupied this neighbourhood. 

The forty-four granite columns in all probability formed 
part of the ecatostilo, or portico of one hundred columns, 
attached to the Theatre of Pompey. 

It was in this Palace that the short-lived Parliament, 
elected in virtue of the constitution given by Pius IX., and 
which made the commencement of his reign so glorious, 
held its sittings. It was here that the mob burst into the 
chamber, crying out for war against Austria, after the 
Pope, with the famous " noil devo, non posso, e non voglia," 
spoken to the people from the balcony of the Quirinal, with- 
drew his consent to the Roman Volunteers marching to 
join the forces of Carlo Alberto; and it was here in the 



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Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



month, of November, 1848, that the Prime Minister, Count 
Rossi, was assassinated as he left his carriage, and was 
entering the portico to ascend to the Chamber of Deputies. 

Retracing onr steps by the Piazza della Cancelleria to 
the Via dei Baullari, we turn to the right — and crossing 
the large Piazza called the Campo de Fiojii, the chief vege- 
table market of Rome, we see before us, at the end of the 
street, 

THE FARNESE PALACE, 

without exception the grandest of the many grand Palaces 
in Rome, not only in size but in architectural beauty. It 
was built, as far as the cornice, by the celebrated architect, 
Antonio Picconi, for Cardinal Farnese, afterwards Paul III., 
1534-50. The material employed was chiefly travertine, 
the whole of which was taken from the Colosseum. "When 
Cardinal Farnese had ascended the Pontifical throne he 
was desirous of surmounting his Palace with the most 
magnificent cornice that could be designed. He confided 
its execution to Michael Angelo, but was barely satisfied 
with the result. Cardinal Alexander Farnese employed 
Giacom-o Barozzi da Vignola to construct the great hall 
painted in fresco by Annibale Ca,racci ; and finally Gia- 
como della Porta built the facade towards the Tiber. 

The magnificent frescoes by Annibale Garacci and his 
scholars, which adorn the grand hall of this palace, and 
formed the chief attraction to strangers and to lovers of art, 
are no longer shown to the public since the first floor was 
let to the French Ambassador to the Pope. Strangers 
must content themselves with looking at the courtyard, 
which, however, is particularly fine. On the further side 
is a sarcophagus, reputed to be that which contained the 



The Spada Palace. 



29\) 



body of Cecilia Metella. It was not however found within 
her monument, but near it ; and the style of the carving- 
indicates a much later period than that in which Cecilia 
Metella could have lived. 

The great granite basins of the fountains in the Piazza, 
in front of the Palace, were originally enormous baths in 
the Tepiclarium of the Baths of Caracalla, among the ruins 
of which they were found. They measure 17 feet in length 
by 4 in width. 

Turning to the left, on leaving the Farnese Palace, and 
proceeding along the Vicoli de Yenti, which is in a line 
with the front, we enter the small Piazza Capo di Ferro^ 
the left side of Which is formed by 

THE SPADA PALACE, 

built during the pontificate of Paul III., 1534-50, by Giulio 
Mazzoni da Piacenza for Cardinal Grirolamo Capodiferro, 
from whom the Piazza takes its name. The Palace after- 
wards passed into the possession of the Mignanelli family, 
and in the time of Urban VIII. , 1623-44, into that of Car- 
dinal Bernardino Spada, by whose family name it is now 
called. He employed Borromino to modernise and enrich it 
with a quantity of ornament not in the very best style. 

Ascending the staircase, we enter a large hall — now 
undergoing restoration — where stands the celebrated 
Statue of Pompey, which there is fair reason for believing 
to be that at the base of which " great Caesar fell." 
There has necessarily been a great deal of controversy on a 
subject concerning which there is no absolute proof ; but, 
in brief, a statue, not that of an Emperor, but bearing in 
his hand the emblem of Sovereign Power, having a con- 
siderable resemblance to the portrait of Pompey on his 



300 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



coins, and found among the remains of the series of edi- 
fices — the theatre, temple, portico, and Curia — wherein 
Caesar was assassinated — built by him on this spot, could 
scarcely be other than that erected to him, and espe- 
cially mentioned by Suetonius. It would be absurd to 
suppose that there were two statues of Pompey erected 
in the same place, and that this is not the one at the 
base of which Caesar fell. 

As regards the edifices built by Pompey, considerable 
remains of them are still traceable among the lower 
stories of the houses, and many were visible in the six- 
teenth century. 

The Pompey was found in the year 1553, under the 
wall dividing two houses in the Yicolo de Leutari, close 
by the Cancelleria, and its discovery gave rise to a dispute, 
which threatened to result in serious injury to the 
statue, if not its destruction. It was claimed by the owners 
of both houses ; by one, on the plea that the head lay under 
his; by the other, because the greater portion of the body 
and legs lay beneath his. The matter was referred to the 
Judicial authorities, who gave the Solomonian judgment 
that it should be cut in two ; each to take the portion which 
lay upon his property. At this juncture Julius III., 1550- 
55, interfered, and giving 500 scudi (about £100 sterling), 
to be divided between the litigants, made the statue a 
present to Cardinal Capodiferro, by whom this Palace 
was built. 

From the hall we pass into the Picture Gallery, which 
is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, and 
Saturdays from 10 to 3.* 

* The attention of the Spada family especially is drawn to the porter, who, with 
his family, and particularly his son, a tall, thin youth, are notoriously uncivil and 
•extortionate towards persons who visit this gallery. 



The Spada Palace. 



301 



First Room. 



5.- 

7. - 

8. - 
9 V 

10.- 
13.- 
18.- 
22.- 



16. 
IS. 



-David with the Head of 

Goliath : Gnercino. 
-Urban Rocci, dressed as a 

Pilgrim : French School. 
-The Triumph of David: 

Pannini. 
-Fruit and Flowers : Castig- 

lioni. 

-Cardinal Naro Patrizzi : 

Camuccini. 
-David dancing before the 

Ark : Pannini. 
-Cain killing Abel : Lan- 

franco. 

-A girl holding a pair of 
compasses, called Geo- 
metry: Michael Angela 
da Caravaggio. 



29. — The Death of Cleopatra : 

jRomanelli (?) 

30. — Youth carried off by Time : 

Bomanelli. 

39. — Fruit and Game : Castig- 

lione. 

40. — Portrait of Julius III. , who 

rescued the Pompey : 
Scipio Gaetani. 
48. — St. Christopher : Antonio 
Razzi. 

53. — A Storm : Tempesta. 

54. — The Roman Daughter : Bo- 

lognese School. 

55. — Slaying the faithful Shep- 

herd : Luca Giordani. 



Second Room. 



-Astronomy : Sebastiano del 
Piombo. 

-Cardinal BernardinoSpada: 
Gnercino. 

-Madonna and Child ; style 
of Murillo. 

-Jacob's "Well : Nicholas 
Poussin. 

-Attack on a Village : Breug- 
hel. 

-Judith : Guido. 

-St. John the Baptist preach- 
ing in the Desert : Breug- 
hel. 

-The Visitation : Andrea del 
Sarto. 

-The Revolution of Masan- 
iello at Naples : Cerquozzi. 



19. — The Woman taken in Adul- 
tery : II Calabrese. 

22.— Two Drinkers : Michael 
Angelo da Caravaggio. 

26.— The Death of Lucretia : 
Guido. 

32.— Time carrying off Beauty : 
Solimene. 

36. — Sic transit gloria Mundi : 
Cupids playing with soap 
bubbles : Unknown. 

43. — Our Saviour disputing with 
the Doctors, after that in 
the National Gallery, 
London : Leonardo da 
Vinci. (?) 



-St. Anne and the Virgin : 

M. A. da Caravaggio. 
-Dalila and Samson : French 
School. 

-St. John the Baptist: Giulio 

Romayio. 
-Latona transforming the 

Shepherds into Frogs : 

Chiari. 



Thied Room. 

6.- 



The Judgment of Paris : 
Luca Cambiasi. 
7. — Adoration of the Shepherds: 
Valentin. 
12. — Cleopatra and Mark An- 
tony: Trevisani. 
15.— The Mill : Breughel. 



302 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



58.- 
63.- 
66.- 
71.- 
73- 
74.- 



io.- 



28. — David with the Head of i 49.- 

Goliath: Michael Angela 
da Caravaggio. 
24.— The Death of Dido : Guer- 
cino. 

26. — Sketch for the Fresco on 
the vault of the Gesu : 
Baciccio. 

29. — Landscape : Salvator Rosa. 

40. — A Portrait : Moroni. 

41. — Madonna andChild:5/)/?one 

da Pesaro. 

42. — A Portrait : Titian. 
48. — God the Father surrounded 

by angels : Palmegiani. 

Foukth Boom. 

3 — Winter : T enters. 

4 — Cardinal Bernardino Spada: 

Guido. 

15 — Two Cherubs' heads : M.A. 

da Caravaggio. 

16 — The Vestals guarding the 

Sacred Fire : Paolo da 
Cortona. 

17 — The Woman taken in Adul- 

tery : Venetian School. 

23 — Deposition from the Cross : 

Caracci. 

24— The Magdalen : Guido Cag- 

nacci. 

25— The Triumph of Bacchus : 

Chiari. 



■Our Sayiour meeting His 
Mother on the way to 
Calvary : Palmegiani. 

A Botanist : Moroni. 

■The Rape of Helen : Guido. 

Horatio Spada : Titian. 

Portrait : Moroni. 

The Prodigal Son : Guido. 

Our Saviour driving out the 
Money Changers : II Ca- 
labrese. 

The Massacre of the Inno- 
cents : Pietro Testa. 



26 — The Betrayal of our Saviour: 
Gherardo delta Notte. 

30 — St. Cecilia : Michael Angela 
da Caravaggio. 

31 — Cardinal Faorizio Spada : 
Carlo Maratta. 

34— A Head of a Saint in Fresco : 

Unknown. 
38 — The Magdalen : Guercino. 
41 — Portrait of a Girl : Paolo 

Veronese. 
44 — Madonna and Child : Andrea 
del Sarto. 

49 — The Sacrifice of Iphigenia : 
Testa. 

50— The Birth of Bacchus : 
Chiari. 

In some small rooms on the gronnd floor there is a col- 
lection of ancient sculpture for the most part worthless, with 
the exception of a small seated statue called Aristotle (?) 
(No. 5), and eight bas-reliefs of great beauty found in 1620, 
in the Church of St. Agnes, outside the walls, where they 
had been turned face downwards, and utilised as slabs for 
the pavement. 



65 — Pasipha? and Dredalus. 

66 — Meleager. 

67 — Ulysses and Diomed rob- 

bing the Temple of Mi- 
nerva. 

68 — Paris and Helen. 



69- 



70- 
71- 



72- 



-Adrastus and Hypsipyle 
finding the body of Arche- 
morus. 

-Amphion and Zethus. 

-Bellerophon watering Pe- 
gasus. 

-Paris and iEnone. 



The Trastevere. 



303 



Continuing onwards to the right, the street terminates 
in the Via dei Pelligrini, turning along which to the right 
we reach The Ponte Sisto, and crossing it can pass on 
into the Trastevere, described in the following section. By 
keeping directly onwards — after crossing the bridge — 
along the Via S. Dorotea, we shall find the Via della Lun- 
gara on the right, and proceeding along it for a short dis- 
tance we shall come to the Corsini Palace (see page 307) on 
the left. The Church of St. Onofrio (see page 304) is some 
distance further on in the same direction. Or if we keep 
straight on from the Via S. Dorotea, along the Via Gari- 
baldi, we shall ascend the Janiculum to the Church of St. 
Pietro in Montorio, and from thence to the Villa Pamphili 
Doria, outside the Porta San Pancrazio. 

THE TEASTE VEEE. 

Following the Section " From the Piazza di Spagna to 
St. Peter's " as far as the Castle of St. Angelo (pages 38 
to 47), we turn to the left after crossing the bridge, and 
keeping to the left, pass along the Borgo Santo Spirito. 

The long, low building on the left, with busts upon the 
parapet, is The Hospital of Santo Spirito, founded by 
Innocent III., 1198-1216. It was rebuilt in 1471, by Baccio 
Pintelli, for Sixtus IV., who added the great hall, which 
measures 376 feet in length, by 37 feet in width, and 44 feet 
in height. Afterwards Falladio added the cupola, and de- 
signed the altar below it, at the time when he was studying 
the ancient monuments, and it said this is the only work he 
executed in the city. Paul III., 1534-49, employed Antonio 
San Gallo to add a new w T ing. Gregory XIII. 1572-85, 
and Alexander VII., 1655-67, made further additions. 
Benedict XIV., 1740-58, directed Ferdinando Fuga to build 



304 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



another great hall, and finally, Pius VI., 1775-1800, made 
another great addition, on the opposite side of the street. 
This Hospital is capable of receiving upwards of 1600 
patients. 

At the further extremity of the Hospital, is The Church 
of Santo Spirito in Sassia, said to have been founded by 
Ina, King of the Saxons, in the year 717, together with a 
hospital for the use of the Saxon Pilgrims. Falling to ruin 
in the course of time, it was rebuilt by Innocent III., at the 
same time with the adjoining hospital, from the designs of 
Marchionne, a sculptor and architect of Arezzo. It was 
restored by Innocent IV., 1242-54, and was again rebuilt by 
Paul III., 1534-49, from the designs of Antonio San Gallo, 
with the exception of the facade, built by Otavio Masclierino 
in the time of Sixtus V., 1585-13. 

Passing the Church, we turn immediately to the left, 
along the Via dei Penitenzieri, and after proceeding a short 
distance, pass through The Porta Santo Spirito — com- 
menced, but left unfinished, by San Gallo, in the wall of 
the Leonine city — and enter the Via della Lungara. 

The long modern building on the left is the Lunatic 
Asylum, founded by Benedict XIII., 1724-30. 

On the right a narrow street leads up the incline to 

THE CHUKCH OF ST. ONOFKIO, 

built in 1419, by a certain Niccolo da Forca Paleno, a Her- 
mit, of the order of St. Jerome, afterwards beatified. It 
is celebrated as containing the remains of the great poet 
Tasso, who is buried here, and who died in the adjoining 
Monastery on the 25th of April, 1595. 

Against the wall, immediately to the left on entering, is 
the monument with a painted portrait, erected to his 



The Church of St. Onofrio. 



305 



memory by Cardinal Bevilacqua, above where his remains 
rested, beneath the pavement ; the spot marked by a simple 
slab. In 1857 they were removed and placed within the 
grand memorial — erected by public subscription, headed by 
Pins IX. — in the adjoining chapel, and the original slab in 
the pavement was replaced by another. The new monu- 
ment, executed by the sculptor Fabris, is not unworthy of 
the subject, though the life-sized statue of the poet is 
somewhat theatrical in character. 

The room in the monastery, which Tasso occupied, and in 
which he died, is shown to visitors. Until recently, women 
were not permitted to see it, except on the 25th of April, 
the anniversary of his death, but now they are admitted at 
any time. It contains a number of relics connected with 
the poet : — his chair ; his inkstand ; the cast taken from 
his face after death, somewhat disfigured by having been 
converted into a bust, and the eyelids separated ; the cruci- 
fix which stood on his ta,ble ; some of his writing ; and 
other objects. 

In a glass case on one side, the leaden coffin is preserved, 
which contained his remains up to the year 1857, and above 
it, the original slab from the pavement. 

Strangers will be struck with the extreme shortness of 
the coffin, but in fact it is nothing more than a leaden box 
made to contain his bones. He was first buried in a 
common wooden coffin, close to the high altar. Six years 
later, i.e., in 1601, the grave was opened for the purpose of 
removing the remains to the spot beneath the monument 
erected by Cardinal Bevilacqua, when it was found that the 
coffin had fallen to pieces, and nothing remained but frag- 
ments of wood and the bones of the poet, which were then 
placed within this leaden box. The dates, of his death, 



306 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



MDXCV., and of the removal of the remains, MDCL, are- 
recorded on the original slab above. 

On the wall is a full length portrait of Tasso, painted in 
fresco a few years ago, by Pilvp'po Balbi, of Naples. 

Tasso^s Oak, the tree under which he used to sit in the 
garden of the monastery, is shown to visitors. It was 
much injured by the great storm in the autumn of 1842. 
From this spot there is a magnificent panoramic view of 
Rome. 

The Church is very quaint in character. On the floor 
are a number of interesting monumental slabs, well pre- 
served ; some sculptured in low relief, others with figures 
incised upon them, after the manner of monumental 
brasses. 

The frescoes on the vault of the apse are by Pintu- 
ricchio; those on the wall of the apse, below the little 
cornice, are by Baldassare Peruzzi — all much injured by 
restoration. 

On the floor of the third chapel, on the left, is the monu- 
mental slab to the memory of the celebrated linguist, 
Cardinal Mezzofanti, ob. 1849, who is buried here. 

The first chapel, on the left, with a vaulted ceiling sup- 
ported by small columns, is dedicated to St. Onofrio. 

The second, ornamented with stuccoes, is dedicated to 
the Madonna of Loreto ; and against the wall beyond it is 
the monument of Archbishop Sacchi, ob. 1502, in the 
lunette, above which is a charming little fresco by Pintu- 
ricchio. 

The monumental slab, placed upright against the wall to 
the right of the door before entering, is that of the founder 
of the Church, the Blessed Niccolo cla Forca Paleno, ob. 
1449. Three of the lunette frescoes on the right side of the 



The Gorsini Palace. 



307 



little two-sided portico, and that over the door, covered 
with glass, are by DomenicMno, much, injured by exposure. 

In the corridor leading to Tasso's room is a lunette, 
painted in fresco by Leonardo da Vinci. 

After leaving the Church, the first turning on the right 
leads down a rapid incline, broken by steps,* to the Via 
della Lungara, along which we turn to the right. 

On the right we pass the Botanical Gardens, and continue 
onwards till we reach 

THE COESINI PALACE, 

on the same side. This splendid edifice was built by 
Ferdinando JPuga, in 1729, for Cardinal JSTereus Corsini, 
nephew of Clement XII. — their monuments are in the 
Corsini Chapel, in the Lateran — on the site of the Riario 
Palace, built by the nephews of Sixtus IV., 1471-84. It 
contains a very fine collection cf paintings, open to the 
public on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from nine 
to three ; and a fine library, open to students every day 
after one o'clock, excepting Wednesdays and festas. 



First Koom. 



9. The Plague at Milan : Muta- 
tor i. 

10. The Marriage of St. Catherine 
of Alexandria : Carlo Ma- 
rat t a. 

15. St. Catherine of Alexandria 
holding the infant Jesus 
in her arms : Zoboli. 

17. Men playing at cards in a 

village tavern : Locatelli. 

18. A wine shop : Locatelli. 



20. A Bambochade : Locatelli. 

24. View of the port of Venice : 
Canaletto. 

26. View of Venice : Ganaletto. 

Portion of a Christian Sarcopha- 
gus, sculptured with a re- 
presentation of the Vin- 
tage : over the door. 

Pagan Sarcophagus: Tritons and 
Nereids, found at Syra- 
cuse. 



steps are generally in such a 
to "witness a striking example of wh 
much of the picturesque, loudly c grei t 
their steps by the street up which they 
along the Via della Lungara . 



ulition that ladies— unless they i sire 
used to bo until recently, when so 
oae, was removed— had better retrace 
d, and, at its foot, turn to the right 



308 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Second Room. 



26. Adam and Eve mourning i 

the death of Abel : Cer- j 
qiwzzi. 

29. The Prodigal Son: Cerquozzi. \ 



31. Portrait of a woman: Luini. 

32. Lucretia : Carlo Maratta. 
40. Jacob's Dream : Macon. 



Third Room. 



1. Ecce Homo : Guercino. 

2. The Virgin and Infant 

Christ: Carlo Dole i* 
9. The Virgin' and Infant 
Christ : Andrea del Sarto. 
10. Birth of the Virgin : Ludovico 
Caracci. 

15. The Virgin and Infant 
Christ : Andrea del Sarto. 

17. The Virgin and Infant 
Christ : Michael Angelo 
da Caravaggio. 

28. Interior of a Tavern: Tenters. 

38. The Meet: Wouvermans. 

44. Pope Julius II. : Raphael. 



49. St. Apollonia : Carlo Dolci. 

50. Philip II. , King of Spain: 

Titian. 

51. The Infant Jesus and St. 

John the Baptist : Carlo 
Cignani. 

52. Vanity: Saraceni. 

53. Marriage of St. Catherine of 

Alexandria : Paolo Vero- 
nese. 

81. The Annunciation : Vasari. 

82. St. John the Baptist : Carlo 

Maratta. 

88. Ecce Homo : Carlo Dolci, 

89. Ecce Homo : Guido. f 



Fourth Room. 



11. Herodias with the head of 
St. John the Baptist : 
Guido. 

18. St. Andrew kneeling before 
his Cross : Andrea Sacchi. 



19. Martyrdom 
Giddo. 

27. Two heads : 

28. St. Jerome 



of St. Peter : 



L. Caracci. 
praying in 



the 



40. Faustina Maratta , daughter 

of Carlo Maratta. 

41. The Fornarina : Guilio Ro- 

mano. 

44. A Hare : Albert Durer. 

The Genius of fishing, statue : 

Tenerani. 
The Genius of hunting, statue : 

Tenerani. 



Desert: Titian. 



Fifth Room. 



12. St. Agnes : Carlo Dolci. 
14. The Annunciation: Carlo 
Maratta. 
The Holy Family : Schidone. 
The Virgin and Infant 

Jesus: Albani. 
Our Saviour and the Samari- 
tan Woman: Guercino. 
The Infant Christ : Battoni. 
Our Saviour ordering St. 
Peter to pay the tribute 



16. 
23. 

24. 

25. 

9,R 



with the money found in 
the fish's belly : Luca 
Giordano. 
32. The Angel of the Annuncia- 
tion : Guercino. 

37. Our Lady of Sorrows : Guido. 

38. Ecce Homo : Guido. 

39. St. John the Evangelist : 

Guido. 

40. The Annunciation: Guercino. 
45. The Crucifixion : Guido. 



* This picture is generally on an easel, for the convenience of copyists, in the 
second room. 



' Compare 



and 89 with No. 1. 



The Oorsini Palace. 



309 



Sixth Boom. 



15. 
21. 

31. 

35. 

40. 

43. 



2. 
6. 
8. 
10. 

11. 

13. 
15. 

18. 



47 



so 



54 



Head of an old man : Rubens. 
The two children of Charles 

V.: Titian. 
The wife of Martin Luther : 

Holbein. 
Portrait of Martin Luther : 

Holbein. 
Cardinal Divitius de Bibiena : 

Bronzino. 
Cardinal Albert of Bran- 

denburgh: Albert Durer. 

Seventh Boom. 

23. The Last Judgment 
Angelico. 



Portrait of Bubens : Cam- 
piglia. 

Cardinal Alexander Farnese : 
Titian. 

Lorenzo de Medicis : Bron- 
zino. 

67. Portrait of Mary Queen of 
Scots : Oliver. 

68. Cardinal Nereus Corsini : 
Bacciccio. 



Woman and Child : Murillo. 

Landscape: Gasper Poussin. 

Angels removing the arrows 
from St. Sebastian : Ru- 
bens. 

Our Saviour bearing His 
Cross : Garofolo. 

The descent of the Holy- 
Spirit upon the Apostles : 
Fra Angelico. 

Eighth Boom 



Fra 



24. 
28. 
30. 

34. 



Holy Family : Francia. 
A Cattle-field : Claude. 
Ecce Homo : Vandyke. 
The history of Niobe : P. da 

Caravaggio. 
Holy Family : Nicholas 

Poussin. 
Contemplation : Guido. 
Nymph surprised by a Satyr : 

Gaspar Poussin. 
Susanna and the Elders : 

Domenichino. 



21 



The Ascension: Fra Angelico. 
A Landscape : Orrizonte. 
The woman taken in Adul- 
tery : Titian. 
A Landscape : Orrizonte. 



side 



Village by the sea 
Gaspar Poussin. 

23. Sheep : Gaspar Poussin. 

24. St. Jerome writing his Com- 

mentaries : Guercino. 

25. St. Jerome meditating upon 

death : Spagnoletto. 

26. Portrait of a Florentine Sen- 

ator : Bronzino. 
A Faun : Gaspar Poussin. 
A Pastoral Scene: Gaspar 
Poussin. 



40. 
41. 



10. Ecce Homo : Guido. 



2. 
9. 
20. 

23. 

29. 
30, 



An Interior : Teniers. 
Pope Innocent X.: Velasquez. 
Portrait of a woman : Bron- 



Cabinet. 

| 22. A triptych: Orcagna(?). 
Ninth Boom. 

33. Holy Family 
35. 



zino. 

A Battle Piece : Salvator 
Rosa. 

Idem : Salvator Rosa. 
The Virgin visiting St. Eli- 
zabeth : Giorgione. 



A 



Barocci. 
Piece : Salvator 



36 



Battle 

Rosa. 

Portrait of a young woman : 
Titian. 

49. The Virgin and Infant Christ: 
Gherardesca. 



310 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Opposite the Corsini Palace is 

THE FAKNESINA,* 
a kind of interrimral villa, built "by tlie wealthy banker 
Agostino Chigi, from the designs of Baldassare Peruzzi, in 
1506, as a place where to give those sumptuous entertain- 
ments for which he was so celebrated. It was at this villa 
that he gave the grand banquet to which he invited Leo X., 
the Cardinals, Ambassadors, and other notabilities of the 
day ; and as the plate on which they had dined was re- 
moved from the table had it thrown into the Tiber, that it 
might not be degraded by being put to inferior use. 

It is more particularly celebrated, however, for the 
beautiful Fbescoes by tee hand of Raphael, and from his 
designs, illustrating the fable of Cupid and Psyche, painted 
on the ceiling of the first room— originally open towards 
the garden — into which we enter. The incidents of the 
story are represented on the curved portion, in the following 
order : — 

1. Venus angrily pointing to 

Psyche on earth, of whom 
she was jealous, and com- 
manding Cupid to punish 
her with the pains of loTe. 

2. Cupid having become ena- 

moured of Psyche, draws 
the attention of the Graces 
to her. 

3. Juno and Ceres refusing to 

aid Venus to find Psyche. 

4. Venus in her car, drawn by 

doves, hastening to claim 
the assistance of Jupiter. 

5. Venus entreating Jupiter. 

The two large frescoes on the flat of the ceiling represent 
Psyche brought by Mercury before Jupiter and the Council 

* Open to the public on the 1st and 15th of each month. 



! 6. Mercury sent bv Jumter to 
find Psyche. 

7. Psyche carrying the Vase 

from the Infernal regions 
to appease Venus. 

8. Psyche presenting the Vase 

to Venus. 

9. Cupid interceding with Ju- 

piter against his mother's 
opposition and cruelt}". 
10. Psyche carried by Mercury 
into the presence of Ju- 
piter and the gods of 
Olympus. 



The Fames ina. 311 

X)f the Gods on Mount Olympus; and the marriage of 
Cupid and Psyche. In the lunettes are " Loves" carrying 
the attributes of the gods. The continued garland of 
.flowers, by which the subjects are bordered, was painted 
by Giovanni da Udine. The whole of these frescoes have 
been injured through being retouched by Carlo Maratta. 

The beautiful fresco of Galatea, by Raphael, on one of 
the compartments in the adjoining room, is believed to have 
been entirely painted by himself, with the exception of the 
group of Tritons on the right. The lunettes in this room 
were painted by Sebastiano del Piombo and Daniele da, 
Volterra. The colossal head in chalk in the lunette near the 
left window is said to have been drawn by Michael Angelo? 
and left as a kind of visiting card for Daniele da Volterra. 
The frescoes on the ceiling are by Baldassare Peruzzi. The 
landscapes on the walls were painted, at a later period, by 

GaSPAR POUSSLN. 

In the upper rooms : the walls of the first are decorated 
.with architectural paintings by Baldassare Peruzzi, and the 
frieze, with subjects from Ovid's Metamorphoses, is said to 
be by Guilio Romano. In the second, is the marriage of 
Alexander and Roxana; and Darius at the feet of Alexander, 
by Sodoma. 

Turning to the left, from the Farnesina, we pass under 
the Porta Septimiana, a gateway rebuilt by Alexander VI., 
1492-1503, on the site of that said to have been constructed- 
by Septimius Severus, in the original wall of fortification. 

The Via Garibaldi, on the right, leads up the side of The 
Janiculum to The Church of St. Pietko in Montokio, 
and to The Villa Pamphili-Doria ; for these, see index. 

There is a little gothic window, with a painted arch, above 
the baker's shop, No. 20, in the Via di S. Dorotea, on the 



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Tourisfs Handbook to Rome. 



left, which is said to be that at which Raphael first saw the 
Fornarina; this street leads to the Ponte Sisto [see page 303). 
Con tinning in a direct line onwards along the Via della 
Scala, passing on the right the little Church of Sta. Maeia 
della Scala, built in 1592, by Francisco da Volterra, with 
a facade by Ottavio Mascherino, and throngh the little 
Piazza of S. Egidio, we reach the side of the Basilica of 

STA. MAKIA IN TKASTEVEEE, 

and, tnrning to the left, along the Via della Paglia — which 
also leads off to the right — we enter throngh the Portico, 
which faces on the Piazza di S. Callisto. 

This fine old Basilica, which surpasses in grandenr and 
solemnity those of St. John Lateran and Sta. Maria Mag- 
giore, has recently been repaired and redecorated thronghout 
with perfect regard to the restoration, where possible, of 
its primitive simplicity, and particularly as regards the 
tribnne, with its ancient episcopal throne of marble. 

Here stood the Tabeena Meritoeia, a kind of asylnm for 
disabled veterans, on the site of which the Church was 
founded, in commemoration of an extraordinary occurrence 
which happened here about the time of the birth of our 
Saviour, and which was afterwards interpreted as being a 
miraculous indication to the Romans of the grace of God 
made manifest through the coming of the Redeemer. It is 
narrated by Eusebius, of Cesarea, by Eutropius, and by 
Orosius, that in the year 753 of Rome, shortly before the 
birth of our Saviour, a spring of mineral oil burst forth, 
and ran during an entire day in a rapid stream towards the 
Tiber. The inscription FONS . 0 L E I • close to the high altar, 
is said to mark the site of the well. 

In consequence of the belief attached to this circum- 



Sta. Maria in Trastevere. 



313 



stance, a small Church, was founded here by S. Callixtus, in 
the year 222, but during the subsequent persecutions it was 
abandoned, and fell to ruin. About the year 340, it was 
rebuilt by S. Julius II., and John IV., 702-4, decorated it 
with paintings. Gregory II., 715-31, restored it in part, 
and his successor, Gregory III., 731-41, strengthened the 
foundations and re-roofed it. Adrian I., 772-95, added aisles 
to what had been a single nave and enriched the Church with 
endowments; and his successor, Leo III., 795-816, adorned 
it with many precious objects. Gregory IV., in the year 
828, built a monastery dedicated to Pope S. Cornelius, in 
connection with the Church, and, raising the pavement of 
the Tribune, formed the confessional in front of the high 
altar, beneath which he placed the bodies of Sts. Callixtus, 
Cornelius, and Calepodius. Leo IV., about the year 848, 
restored it throughout ; but, notwithstanding this, his suc- 
cessor, Benedict III., 855-58, found it necessary to rebuild 
the tribune and other parts. 

It is evident, from this continued series of repairs and 
restorations, that the primitive edifice was never in a very 
strong condition, and we find that Innocent II., 1130-43, 
rebuilt the Church from the foundations exactly as we see 
it — with the exception only of the richly carved ceiling, 
placed by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, in 1617, from the 
designs of Domenichino ; the portico, rebuilt by Fontana, 
for Clement XI., 1700-21 ; and such few later additions 
as monuments, &c, which are at once evident. Innocent 
II. laid the floor with the beautiful pavement of Ojpus 
Alexandrinum ; * ornamented the vault of the tribune 

* This pavement has been entirely relaid in the course of recent restorations, but 
the original design has been scrupulously preserved, and if it has now a very modern 
look, different from the antique appearance of the other pavements of tho same kind 
elsewhere, it must be borne in mind that, like discoloured and damaged statues, they 
have that appearance through age, -while this in reality gives us a more exact repre- 
sentation of the original character of the Opus A lexandrinum. 



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Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



with, the mosaic we see ; erected a marble ciborium over 
the high altar, supported by four columns of porphyry, 
which still remain, though the rest of the ciborium, 
having disappeared, has been replaced with woodwork ; 
and to the bodies of the saints beneath the high altar 
added that of St. Quirinus, taken from the Catacomb of 
S. Callixtus. What was left incomplete by Innocent was 
finished by his successor, Eugenius III., 1145-53, by whose 
order the mosaic on the facade was commenced, and finally 
completed, in the 14th century, by Pietro Gavallini, a pupil 
of Giotto's. This mosaic facade enables us to understand 
what those of Sta. Maria Maggiore and of the other great 
Basilicas were like. Nicholas V., 1447-55, Pius V., 1566-72, 
and other Popes, b.estowed care upon this Church, and 
made alterations and additions as regards the chapels, but 
the architects employed in no way changed the general 
aspect of the edifice. 

The aisles are divided from the nave by eleven columns 
on each side of red and grey granite, taken from ancient 
edifices, surmounted by antique capitals of great beauty. 
The majority of them are ornamented Doric, and are particu- 
larly interesting from the small busts of Isis, Serapis, and 
Harpocrates sculptured upon them. Some of the columns 
stand on richly ornamented antique bases. 

The chapel at the end of the right aisle, designed by 
Domenichino, is dedicated to the Madonna of the Yia Cupa, 
from a miraculous picture removed from that lane outside 
the Porta Pia, and placed over the altar. The iron railing 
which closes the chapel, and has the arms of England above 
the gate, was erected at the expense of Cardinal York, 
brother of the young Pretender. 

The monument against the wall of the aisle before 



Sta. Maria in Trastevere. 



315 



entering this chapel was erected in 1524, to two members 
of the Armellini family; the figures in the central com- 
partment represent St. Laurence and St. Francis. 

Immediately opposite this, at the end of the left aisle, is 
a very picturesque gothic altarpiece ; two spiral columns 
supporting a canopy ornamented with small statues of 
saints. The picture above the altar, representing the mar- 
tyrdom of St. Philip, who, like St. Peter, was crucified 
with his head downwards, is said to have been painted 
•about the year 1390, but having been entirely worked 
over, it has lost the characteristics of the period. It is, 
nevertheless, an interesting work. This altarpiece was 
erected at the expense of Cardinal d' Alencon, brother of 
Philippe le Bel of France, and nephew of Charles de 
Valois. It originally stood in the nave, and was removed 
to its present position by Cardinal d'Alternps in 1582, who, 
at the same time, had his portrait introduced at the right- 
hand corner of the picture above the altar. 

The monument on the left is that of the Cardinal d' 
Alencon, ob. 1403, who erected the altarpiece. The bas- 
relief represents the transit of the Virgin. 

The monument on the right of the altar is that of 
Cardinal Pietro Stefaneschi degli Annibaldi. It was 
sculptured at the commencement of the 15th century by 
a celebrated Roman sculptor of that period, named Paolo, 
whose name it bears, and who in all probability was the 
author of the monument of Cardinal d' Alencon. 

The chapel, dedicated to the Sacrament, at the end of 
this aisle, was built by Onorio Lmighi the elder, for Cardinal 
d' Altemps, in the time of Pius IV., 1559-66. The vault 
is divided into compartments, ornamented with subjects 
from the life of the Virgin, painted in fresco by Fasquale 



316 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Cati da Jesi, by wliom also are tlie frescoes on the side 
of the walls : one representing the Council of Trent, and 
the other the Consistory of Cardinals, held by Pius IV., 
when the acts of the Council were presented to him. 

The beautiful mosaics on the vault and face of the apse 
were executed by order of Innocent II., 1130-43. The 
series on the wall below the vault — representing incidents 
from the life of the "Virgin : i.e., The Birth of the Virgin : 
The Annunciation ; The Birth of Christ ; The Adoration of 
the Magi; The Circumcision ; and, The Death of the Virgin 
— were executed by Cavallini, about the year 1290; and by 
him also is the mosaic above the episcopal throne, repre- 
senting 1 the Madonna and infant Christ, with St. Paul on 
the right and St. Peter on the left, presenting to her 
Bertoldo Stefaneschi — ancestor of the Cardinal Stefaneschi, 
whose monument we have already noticed — majordomo to 
Mcholas IV., and at whose expense these mosaics by Caval- 
lini were made. 

About the middle of the left aisle is a monument to 
Innocent II., recently erected at the expense of Pius IX. 

To the right of the main door on entering is a beautiful 
little ciborium for the holy oil, sculptured by Mina da Fiesole, 
and bearing the words OPUS MINI. 

The stained glass windows in the front are modern, and 
were placed during the recent restorations. 

Leaving Sta. Maria in Trastevere by the main entrance, 
we cross the piazza to the opposite left-hand corner, and 
continuing along the Via della Lungaretto, the sixth turning 
on the right brings us in front of the lateral entrance of the 

BASILICA OF ST. CRYSOGONO. 

This ancient Church — the date of its foundation is not 



Basilica of St. Crysogono. 317 

known, but there is record of its existence from the year 
499 — is connected with the history of England, through 
two of its cardinals titular. The first, Giovanni da Crema, 
was sent as Apostolic Legate to England by Honorius II., 
1124-30, and presided at the synods held in London and 
Westminster. He was afterwards sent in the same capacity 
to David I., of Scotland. The second was Stephen Langton, 
Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury in the time of John, 
when Innocent III., 1198-1216, laid England under an 
-interdict, and finally succeeded, for the time, in makinsr 
England and Ireland tributary to Rome. 

The earliest record of this Church is the mention of 
three of its titulars as sitting successively in the Roman 
synod held in 499. Gregory III., 731-41, restored the roof, 
ornamented the walls and apse with paintings, and enriched 
the Church with many valuable gifts, among which was a 
ciborium of silver. Leo III., 795-816, Gregory IV., 827-44, 
and Benedict III., 855-58, presented it with sacred hang- 
ings. In 1623, Cardinal Scipio Borghese, nephew of Paul 
V., employed Gio. Battista Soria to restore it throughout, 
and from that period it has remained unchanged. No 
material alteration was made in the formation of the 
building ; the twenty-two antique granite columns which 
divide the aisles from the nave, and the two magnificent 
porphyry columns which support the arch of the tribune, 
stand as they were originally placed. The vault of the 
apse was once covered with mosaic, but it has all disap- 
peared, with the exception of a small portion above the 
episcopal throne, on which the Virgin and Child, with St. 
Chrysogonus and St. James, are represented. The picture 
of St. Chrysogonus, borne to heaven by angels, which forms 
the centre of the ceiling, is a copy from one by Guercino, 



818 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



which originally occupied the same position, but is now in 
the Duke of Sutherland's collection. This Basilica does 
not contain any works of art worthy of notice. 

Leaving the Basilica by the main entrance, and crossing 
to the further right-hand corner of the piazza, we shall find 
another small piazza, called the Monte di More. Excava- 
tions were made here in 1866, which resulted in the dis- 
covery of an Excubitovium, or 

GUARD-HOUSE OF THE VIIth COHORT OF THE VIGILES, 

whose barracks were situated in this region, but the exact 
locality is not known. * 

The walls, to the height of about five feet from the pave- 
ment, are covered with wainscoating of stucco coloured red, 
which is entirely covered throughout with graphites, rude 
scratchings made by the soldiers. These are exceedingly 
interesting, inasmuch as the majority of them are made in 
imitation of inscriptions recording certain SEBACiARiA,t or 
illuminations with tallow lights made by the soldiers on 
different festive occasions. Many of these graphites give 
not only the names of the consuls for the year, but also the 
month and the day, so that there has been no difficulty in 
ascertaining what were the events in honour of which 
several of these Sebaviaria were made. One, for instance, 
dated the year 221, was made on the occasion of the adop- 
tion of Alexander Severus by Heliogabalus ; and this 
graphite is very curious, from the circumstance that the 

* The Vigiles, or firemen and police of ancient Rome, were instituted by Augustus, 
Yvho divided them into seven cohorts — one for each two of the fourteen regions into 
■which Rome was divided. The seventh cohort was quartered in the Tenth Region, 
the Trastevere. 

t This word is not found in any Latin Lexicon, but it is believed to have been 
derived from Sebum — tallow, and" to signify an illumination with tallow lights ; as 
Ceriolarium, derived from Cereum — wax, signifies an illumination with wax lights or 
candles. 



Guard Rouse of the VUih Cohort of the Vigiles. 319 



Emperor's name was afterwards scratched out,- evidently in 
obedience to the decree of the Senate, made after his death 
the following* year, that his name should be erased from 
every public document. Another bears the name of Dion 
Oassius, the celebrated historian, who, together with the 
Emperor Alexander Severus, was consul A.D. 229, and states 
that the Sebaciaria was made in honour of the taking of the 
decennial votes, when, it also records, the Emperor gave 
each of the Vigiles ten gold pieces. A third records that 
the illumination was made in honour of the accession of 
Gordian III. to the Imperial throne. 

On other parts of the walls are considerable traces of 
fresco painting, and on one side there is a kind of niche or 
recess, also delicately painted, in front of which is a door- 
way of great architectural beauty, and quite unique of its 
kind. It is entirely formed of brickwork. On each side 
are pilasters of the finest red brick, with bases and Corin- 
thian capitals of yellow brick supporting a pediment. The 
capitals were carved after the doorway was built. The 
pavement is formed of black and white mosaic — Tritons 
and sea monsters. On the floor is a kind of octagonal 
basin, with concave sides, made of opus signinum, supposed 
to be a fountain. A passage cut through the accumulation 
leads to a bath chamber, on the walls of which are con- 
siderable remains of marble panelling, but it has not yet 
been ascertained if it formed any part of the guard-house. 

Turning to the left, from the Monte di Fiore, along 
the Via San Crisogono, we take the first turning to the 
left, the Via de Grenovesi. At some little distance along 
this street we find a small piazza on the right. Above the 
wall on the further side we see a pquare church tower, and 
crossing to the farther right-hand corner we pass through 



320 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



a small doorway into a little court yard, and find the lateral 
entrance to 

THE CHUECH OF SANTA CECILIA. 

We have no record of the exact date at which this 
Church was built, but the name of the Titular of Sta. 
Cecilia is appended to the acts of the Roman Synod, held 
under Pope Symmachus, a.d. 499. There is every reason 
for believing that it marks the site, and was built among 
the remains of the house where this wealthy and charitable 
Roman lady and saint resided, and where she suffered 
martyrdom. She was married to a Pagan husband, 
Valerianus, with whom, according to the legends of the 
Church, she lived in a state of virginity, and was finally 
converted to the faith, together with her brother Tiburtius. 
Yalerianns and Tiburtius were taken to the Temple of 
Jupiter on the Appian Way (vide page 230), where they 
suffered martyrdom, by decapitation, by order of Alma- 
chius, Prefect of Rome. Later, Almachius, desiring, it is 
said, to obtain possession of Cecilia's wealth — which, how- 
ever, she had almost entirely distributed among the poor — 
ordered her to be executed within the precincts of her 
palace. An attempt was first made to stifle her in the 
vapour bath, bat that failing, an executioner was sent to 
behead her. Three blows having been made ineffectually, 
the execution, in accordance with the Roman law under 
such circumstances, was stayed. For three days she 
continued to teach and exhort those around her to live 
for Christ's sake only, and then, beseeching Pope Urban to 
take care of her poor people, and to dedicate her house 
to Christian uses, she died from loss of blood on the 22nd 
of November, in the year 280 ; and her body was placed in 



The Church of Santa Cecilia. 



321 



the catacomb of St. Callixtus, near those of her husband 
and brother. 

By the beginning of the ninth century, the Church, 
having fallen into a very ruinous condition, Paschal L, 
817-24, determined to rebuild it. He had removed the 
bodies of many saints and martyrs from the catacombs 
to places of greater security in the churches within the 
walls, and was desirous of finding the remains of Sta. 
Cecilia to place them in this. Having searched for some 
time ineffectually, he supposed they had been stolen by 
Astolphus, King of the Longobards; when one Sunday, 
having fallen asleep near the high altar of St. Peter's, Sta. 
Cecilia appeared to him in a dream, and told him " that he 
had approached so near to her resting place that if he had 
liked he might have spoken to her." On this, Paschal 
recommenced the search, and found her body, together 
with those of her husband, Valerianus, and Tiburtius, her 
brother, and that of Maximus, the chamberlain of Alma- 
chius, who having been converted through their martyrdom, 
at which he was one of the presiding officers, also suffered 
for the faith. He discovered, at the same time, the remains 
of the Popes Urban and Lucius, and removing them, 
together with those of Sta. Cecilia, Yalerianus, Tiburtius, 
and Maximus, from the catacomb of St. Callixtus, placed 
them beneath the high altar. The beautiful mosaic on the 
vault of the apse is part of the enrichment with which 
Paschal I. embellished the Church. In 1283, during the 
Pontificate of Honorius IY., the Church was restored 
throughout, and at that time the ciborium, still standing over 
the high altar, was made by a certain Arnulphus, whose 
name it bears, HOC OPUS FECIT AENVLPHVS ANNO 
DOMINI MCCLXXXIII. On the corners are statuettes of 

Y 



322 



Tourist's Handbook io Borne. 



Cecilia, Valerianus, Tiburtius, and Pope Urban. The 
Church was again restored throughout in the year 1599, by 
Cardinal Paolo Sfrondati, nephew of Gregory XIV., and in 
the course of the works necessary to this purpose the re- 
mains of the martyred saints were disclosed beneath the 
high altar. Bosio, the celebrated writer on the Catacombs, 
who was present at the time, has left a description of the 
condition in which they were found. On removing the 
altar, three arches were revealed beneath. In the first a 
coffin of cypress wood was found, lined with a kind of serge 
woven with green and red threads, and in it the body of 
Sta. Cecilia, enveloped ia a veil of dark coloured silk, 
beneath which was her robe of cloth of gold, stained with 
blood ; the robe she had worn during life, and which was 
upon the body when originally discovered by Paschal I. 
The saint was lying on her right side, with her knees some- 
what drawn up, her arms extended, and her face turned 
towards the ground ; in the attitude, in fact, in which we 
see her represented in the beautiful statue which occupies 
the niche below the altar. During the days while her em- 
balmed body lay exposed to public view, and while all Rome 
flocked to see it, the sculptor, Stefano Maderno, made an 
exact copy from it, and produced in marble not only a 
perfect record of the condition and pose in which the body 
was found, but also one of the purest and most touching 
statues ever carved by the hand of man. 

At the same time, also, one of the bath chambers belong- 
ing to Cecilia's house was found, and as the calorifories, or 
earthenware pipes, for conveying the heat, which surrounded 
the room, prove that it was a vapour bath, it is supposed to 
be that in which the attempt to smother St. Cecilia was first 
made. A door from the right aisle leads into this bath 



The Church of Santa Cecilia. 



323 



room, but it has been so nrach changed bj the introduction 
of modern altars, fresco painting's, and the like, that it con- 
veys but little idea of what its original formation was, 
except indeed to those who are acquainted with the con- 
struction of the Roman baths. 

In 1725, other restorations were made to the Church by 
Cardinal Acquaviva, and in 1823, Cardinal Giorgio Doria 
enclosed the twenty-four columns of grey granite in the 
common looking pilasters which now divide the aisles from 
the nave. 

On the right of the door after entering, is an interesting 
monument erected to Adam of Hertford, ob. 1397, who 
was Cardinal Titular of this Church, and administrator of 
the diocese of London. The body of the tomb is ornamented 
with the arms of England of the time. On the left side is 
the monument of Cardinal Niccolo Fortiguerra, ob, 1473, 
who was papal legate under Pius II., 1458-64-, and Paul II., 
1464-71. 

The painting of the martyrdom of the Saint, on the wall 
of the tribune, is attributed to Guido. 

On the cornice of the portico, which is supported by two 
granite columns, and two of Chian marble, commonly 
called Africano, is a curious mosaic frieze, with medallion 
portraits of Cecilia, Yalerianus, Tiburtius, and Urban I., 
supposed to be of the ninth century. In the courtyard 
before the Church is an ancient marble vase, called a Can- 
tharus, of large size. 

Leaving the Church by the main entrance, and crossing 
the court, we turn to the left, and then taking the first turn- 
ing to the left, the Yia de Genovesi, proceed along it as far 
as the second street on the right, the Via Anicia, at the end 
of which we shall find an archway, called the Arco di 



324 



Tourist's Handbooh to Rome. 



Tolomei. We pass under this, and continue onwards in as 
direct a line as possible, till the street ends in one which 
traverses it at right angles ; then turning to the right, the 
first turning on the left, the Yia Piscinula, leads across the 
Ponte di S. Bartolommeo, to the Isola Tiberina, commonly 
called 

THE ISLAND OF ST. BAETHOLOMEW. 
After the expulsion of the Tarquins, the crops of corn 
which they had sown on the Campus Martius, and which 
were just ripe for the sickle, were cut down and flung into 
the Tiber. The river being' shallow, after the heat of the 
summer, the sheaves stranded on a mud bank in the middle 
of the stream at this point, and created a nucleus, which, 
being afterwards purposely increased, formed this island. 
It was dedicated to Esculapius, and on the site of the Temple 
to that deity, 

THE CHUKCH OF ST. BAKTOLOMMEO 

was built, by — it is believed — the Emperor Otho III., at the 
commencement of the eleventh century. It is situated at 
the further side of a small piazza, a short distance on the 
right, after crossing the bridge. From an inscription upon 
the architrave of the central door, it is believed that 
Paschal II. either restored or embellished the Church, in 
1113. In the year 1180, Alexander III. erected a new con- 
fession, the work of the sculptor Niccolb cli Angela, the 
same who carved the great marble candelabrum for the 
Pascal candle, in the Basilica of St. Paul, outside the walls; 
and, in 1284, Ognissanti Callarario de Teclerini erected a 
handsome marble ciborium. During the great inundation 
of 1557, this Church was almost entirely ruined. The con- 
fession and ciborium were broken to pieces, and the mosaic 



The Church of St. Bartolommeo. 



325 



with which the front was decorated, was destroyed, with the 
exception of half the figure of the Saviour holding an open 
book, on which are the words EGO • SV ■ VIA .VERITAS . ET - VITA. 
This fragment is now preserved in the choir above the por- 
tico. The Church remained closed till the time of Gregory 
XIII., 1572-85, when the Titular Cardinal, Santorio, em- 
ployed Martino Lunghi, the elder, to commence its restora- 
tion, which was completed by Cardinal di Trejo, in 1625. It 
was again devastated in 1798, and restored in 1806, and has 
recently been redecorated and painted by the Padre Bona- 
ventura Gofredo, one of the monks of the Franciscan order, 
whose convent is attached to this Church. 

We enter through a portico sustained by four grauite 
columns. The aisles are divided from the nave by seven 
columns on each side. Some of the chapels are decorated 
with paintings by Antonio Caracci, a descendant of the great 
painters of that name, but beyond these, the Church does 
not contain any works worthy of special observation. 
Under the high altar is a porphyry urn, containing the 
relics of St. Bartholomew, and in front of the tribune is a 
curious well-head of the 12th century, supposed to be the 
work of the Niccolb diAngelo, above mentioned. The figures 
upon it represent the Saviour, St. Adalbert, St. Bartholo- 
mew, and the Emperor Otho III. 

In the piazza in front of the Church is a handsome cross 
with four statues of saints, erected in 1870, by order of 
His Holiness Pius IX. 

Continuing onwards to the right, we reach the Ponte 
Quattro Cap i — the ancient Pons Fabricius — which takes 
its modern name from the four-faced terminal figures which 
stand at the opening. 

The Via Fiumara, on the left, after crossing the bridges 



326 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



forms the lower part of The Ghetto ; but we continue 
directly onwards, and passing a Church, said to have been 
built by a converted Jew, on the front of which the Cruci- 
fixion is painted, with, below it, in Hebrew and in Latin, 
the words from the 65th chapter of Isaiah, 11 1 have spread 
out my hands all the day to a rebellious people," we turn 
to the right into the Via del Monte Savello. The architec- 
tural fragment, in travertine, slightly projecting from the 
house, No. 70, is a portion of the Theatre of Marcellus ; 
and the gateway to the left, as we stand looking at this, 
with Bears on the imposts, is the entrance to the Orsini 
Palace, built upon the Cavea, Orchestrum, and Pulpitum 
of the theatre. 

Passing onwards, and taking the first turning to the left, 
we find ourselves in front of that portion of the exterior of 
the Theatre of Marcellus, which is still visible, and can 
from this point continue the route laid down in the follow- 
ing section. 

FROM THE THEATRE OF MARCELLUS TO ST. 
PAUL'S, OUTSIDE THE WALLS. 

Passing from the Piazza di Spagna along the Via Con- 
dotti, we turn to the left into the Corso, and continuing on 
as far as the Piazza de Venezia, and turning immediately to 
the right, take the streets as follows : — The second turning to 
the left past the front of the Church of the Gesu (see page 
292), along the Yia Ara Cceli, and taking the third turn- 
ing to the right, the Via Tor de Specchio, immediately at 
the foot of the ascent to the Capitol, we pass directly 
into the Via Montanara, a short distance along which we 
shall find the grand remains of 



The Theatre of Marcellus. 



327 



THE THEATKE OF MAKCELLES 

on the right side. This magnificent rain stands more than 
half buried among the modern houses built around it, — under 
the Orsini Palace, erected upon its stage and ranges of seats^ 
— and in some twelve feet of accumulation, which fills up 
two thirds of its lower arcade to the height of the modern 
pavement. The upper part of the range of arches which 
opened from the ancient level, and formed the grand arcade, 
once crowded with the patrician ladies and togad senators of 
Imperial Home, is now converted into a series of squalid 
shops, and against the piers sit vendors of cigar ends to 
the plebs of modern Rome. 

It was founded by Julius Ceesar, who, according to Dion 
Oassius, desired to build a theatre like that of Pompey, but, 
being unfinished at the time of his death, it was continued 
and completed by Augustus, who dedicated it B.C. 13, to his 
nephew Marcellus, then recently deceased; the same Mar- 
cellus whose death is lamented by Virgil, in the lines ending 
" tic Marcellus erit." We read that it was capable of giving 
accommodation to 30,000 spectators. The exterior was 
divided into separate stories, as we have seen ic the Colos- 
seum, and, in fact, the architect of that edifice would seem 
to have designed its exterior in close accordance with the 
architectural lines of this theatre. The two lower arcades 
were open porticoes, the piers ornamented with engaged 
columns, the lower of the Doric, the upper of the Ionic 
order. The arches of the lower portico have been converted 
into shops, and those of the upper, walled in, are now 
used as the servants' offices of the Orsini Palace. Above the 
porticoes was an attic pierced with rectangular windows, 



328 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



and ornamented with pilasters, possibly, of the Corinthian 

order. The material is travertine. 

It was injured during the Neronian conflagration, a.d. 

65, and was restored by Vespasian. It was again damaged 

by fire in the time of Titns, and restored by Septimins 

Severus. After the death of Gregory VII., in 1086, it was 

tnrned into a fortress by the Pierleone, and daring the two 

following centuries, was snbject to that series of vicissitudes 

through which the Colosseum and other noble edifices Saf- 
es 

f ered in the contentions between the turbulent Barons of that 
period. The Pierleone sheltered Urban II. within it, in the 
year 1099, and in it that Pope died in 1118. About — it is 
conjectured — the year 1220, it passed into the hands of the 
Savelli, in whose possession it remained until that family 
became extinct in the year 1712, when it was purchased by 
the Orsini, who still retain it. 

Turning" to the right, and passing the remains of the 
theatre on the left, we enter a narrow squalid street, the 
Via del Teatro di Marcello, which occupies one side of 

THE PORTICO OF OCT ATI A. 

The fronts of the houses on the one side and the other 
mark the double row of the columns, many of which, though 
hidden, are incorporated into the walls, as we see two in 
the house No. 11, on the left side, where the wall has been 
recessed back. At the end of this street we find the errand 
vestibule, formed by magnificent Corinthian columns of 
white marble, sustaining a double pediment, one facing 
outwards, and the other inwards upon the area enclosed by 
the portico. This portico was in the form of a rectangular 
double line of columns, and measured 750 feet in length 
upon the sides, and 500 across the front and end. The 



The Portico of Octavia. 



329 



pediments of the vestibule were each supported by four 
columns and two pilasters, of which, towards the inside, 
one column is wanting, and upon the outside, two, to supply 
the place of which a brick acrh was built at some compara- 
tively early, but unknown, period. Passing to the further 
end of the vestibule, and along the filthy fish market in a 
line with the street, by which we approached the Vestibule, 
we shall find, just visible through fractures in the wall on 
the left, four other columns of the portico, in a direct 
line with those in the Via del Teatro di Marcello. 

The portico was originally built by Quintus Cecilius 
Metellus, about 147 B.C., to enclose the Temples of Jupiter,* 
built by him, and of Juno Regina, erected by Marcus 
iEmelius Lepidus, in the year 178 B.C. In the year 32 B.C., 
both the Temples and the portico were rebuilt on a scale of 
greater magnificence by Augustus, who dedicated the 
portico to his sister Octavia. The architects employed 
were Sauros and JBatracos ; and Pliny relates, that, as they 
were not permitted to place their names upon the work, 
they hit upon the device of carving among the foliage of 
the capitals, a frog and a lizard. A curious circumstance 
is related by Pliny regarding the statues of the Divinities. 
When the Temples were completed, and the pedestals ready 
to receive the statues, the slaves who carried them placed, 
by mistake, the statue of Jove in the Temple of Juno, and 
that of Juno in the Temple of Jove. Directly the mistake 
was discovered, the Augurs were consulted, and they decided 
that the statues should remain as they were, because, for 
some inscrutable reason, the gods had so willed it. This 
grand portico, containing within its area two magnificent 
temples, was peopled along its four sides with masterpieces 

* This was the first marble Temple erected in Borne: 



330 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



of Greek sculpture ; and in the area in front of the Temples 
were ranged the 75 bronze equestrian statues of the generals 
and friends of Alexander the Great, who perishted at the 
passage of the Granicus. They were the work of Lysippus, 
and were brought away from Macedon to Rome by Metellus. 

These magnificent edifices, and the many works of art 
which adorned them, were destroyed durinsr the great con- 
flagration, in the time of Titus, a.d. 80, and continued in ruins 
for 12 3. years, when they were rebuilt by Septimius Severus, 
as recorded by the inscription upon the outer pediment, 
The inside of the inner pediment, where the marble facing 
has been destroyed, shows the old material, parts of 
columns and cornices, with which it was, in part at least, 
reconstructed. 

The Church built within the portico, and which has its 
entrance from the vestibule, is called St. Angelo in Pes- 
cheria. It dates from the eighth century ; was rebuilt in 
1610, and has been recently restored. It contains nothing 
of particular interest. 

Returning by the Via del Teatro di Marcello, and re- 
passing the Theatre of Marcellus on the right, we continue 
along the Via Montanara, as far as No. 72, where a little 
piazza opens on the right in front of 

THE CHUKCH OF SAN NICCOLA IN CAKCEBE. 

It takes its name from a tradition which connects it with 
the prison built by Appius the Decemvir, the same in which 
that celebrated event occurred, of the life of a man con- 
demned to death by starvation being saved by his daughter, 
who visited him daily, giving him milk from her breast.* 

* This story is differently told. Pliny and Valerius Maxiruus say it was a molher 
condemned to death, and Festus that it was a father. 



The Church of San Niccola in Garcere. 331 

The scene, however, of this touching event, which occurred 
in the year 149, B.C., was obliterated by Julius Caesar ; for 
Pliny, after narrating the story, and stating that the spot 
in the prison where it occurred was dedicated to the 
daughter's piety, says that it was situated " where the 
Theatre of Marcellus now is." 

This Church is exceedingly interesting from the circum- 
stance that it is built among the remains of three temples — 
The Temple op Hope, built about 253 B.C., by Aulus Atti- 
lius Calatinus, in fulfilment of a vow made during his Car- 
thagenian campaign; The Temple of Juno Matuta, built 
by Cneius Cornelius Cethegus, in the year 195 B.C., in ful- 
filment of a vow made at the commencement of the victory 
he gained three years before over the Cisalpine Gauls ; and 
The Temple op Piety, vowed by the Glabrio, who gained 
the great victory over King Antiochus at Thermopylae, but 
which was built and dedicated by his son, M. Acilius Gla- 
brio, in the year 181 B.C. No doubt the story of the piety 
of the daughter who saved her parent's life became, in pro- 
cess of time, confused with that of the piety of the son who 
fulfilled his father's vow, and thus the event which occurred 
in the neighbouring prison became connected with this 
Church. 

Of these three Temples considerable remains can still be 
traced, but it will be necessary for the visitor to have 
recourse to the Sacristan to point them out. 

The platforms on which the Temples were built, and the 
crypt* of that of Piety, can be examined by descending 
into the subterraneans of the Church. 



* When Byron was in Rome, tliis crypt was shown as the actual spot in the prison 
where the daughter saved her parent's' hfe, and to it he has dedicated the -t.uizahi 
Childe Harold commencing, " There is a dungeon, in whose dim drear light." 



332 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



Beyond the remains of these temples there is nothing 
worthy of notice in the Church. It is supposed to have 
been built in the time of St. Gregory L, 590-604, but 
there is no positive mention of it till the year 1100. In 
1599 the Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini employed Giacomo 
delta Porta to restore it, and it has recently been redecorated 
throughout. 

Continuing down the Via Montanara, as far as JSTo. 96 on 
the right, we find, at a short distance on the right hand side 
of the Via di Ponte Rotto, the picturesque remains of a 
baronial mansion of the middle ages, which is called 

THE HOUSE OF EIENZI. 

Whether it ever belonged to "The Last of the Tribunes," 
or was inhabited by him, it is impossible to ascertain. The 
inscription, however, shows that it was built by Nicholas, 
the son of Crescentius and Theodora, and was given by him 
to his son David, and there can be little doubt but that the 
Crescentius and Theodora named, are the same persons 
who figured so prominently during the disturbances in the 
time of the Emperor Otho III. 

The house is a remarkable example of the manner in which, 
during the 10th and 11th centuries, corbels, cornices, and 
other architectural features of ancient edifices were utilised 
as ordinary building materials, and made to serve the pur- 
pose of decoration in a very rude quaint manner. On the 
side towards the Via Montanara, a massive and evidently 
richly sculptured architrave has been incorporated into the 
wall with the bottom outwards, that it might ser^e for the 
inscription mentioned. Connected with the inscription are 
a number of initial letters, which, with much ingenuity, 
have been explained as referring to Cola di Rienzi, but it 



The Temple of Fort una Virilis. 



333 



is, at best, a mere matter of conjecture that they do so. A 
few steps further leads us on to 

THE PONTE KOTTO, 
which can now be crossed by means of the suspension bridge, 
erected a few years ago. Here was the Pons ^Emilius of an- 
cient Rome. The actual construction was built by Gregory 
VIII., in 1575, and during the inundation of 1598, the 
arches on this side of the river were carried away. From 
that time it has been known by the name of the Ponte 
Rotto, or broken bridge. 

From the suspension bridge we have a fine view, on the 
one side of the Island of St, Bartholomew (see page 324), 
and on the other of The Aventine. The piers of a ruined 
bridge which appear just above the surface of the water, as 
we look towards the Aventine, are the remains of the cele- 
brated Pons Sublicius, which Horatius kept. On the left 
we see the little Temple of Vesta (so called), and below it, 
if the water is not too high, the mouth of The Cloaca 
Maxima, with its three arches of masonry, one within the 
other. 

Returning from the bridge we see, immediately opposite 
to the house of Rienzi, 

THE TEMPLE OF FORTUNA VIEILIS, 

the most ancient of the Roman temples remaining, and 
which has been preserved almost intact, through its having 
been converted into a Church dedicated to the Virgin, in the 
year 872, by a certain Stephen, who walled up the spaces 
between the columns of the portico to increase its size. In 
the time of Pius V., 1566-72, it was given to the Armenian?!, 
and from that time has been called Santa Mauta Egiztaca, 



334 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



This Temple dates from about the year 214 B.C. The 
original Temple of Fortuna Virilis, built by Servius 
Tullius, 557 B.C., was burnt down in that year, and im- 
mediately afterwards rebuilt as we see. (Pliny XXIV., 
47.) It is exceedingly interesting, not only as showing the 
manner in which the Temples were constructed of the 
native stone of the country, before marble was intro- 
duced, but as the purest example of the Ionic order existing 
among the remains of ancient Rome. Not only, therefore, 
have we evidence of the date given by the material \ but the 
style proves the edifice to have been built at a time when 
the Romans had become well acquainted with the Grecian 
orders, but before they commenced to debase their propor- 
tions by attempting to improve and embellish them. 

A few steps further bring us to the beautiful little 
circular edifice called 

THE TEMPLE OF VESTA.* 

Nothing whatever is known concerning this edifice, 
either as regards the period when it was built, or the deity 
to which it was dedicated. It is attributed to Vesta, on 
account of its circular form, but the Temples of Hercules 
were also round, and some are disposed to think it may 
have been dedicated to him. All that can be said is, that 
the arguments for and against each theory are equally strong. 

It is a perypteros, formed by twenty Corinthian columns, 
of which one only is wanting; and, judging from the work- 
manship, was probably built about the end of the first 
century. W e owe the preservation of this Temple, also, to 
its having been dedicated to Christian uses. The spaces 

* This must not "be mistaken for the celebrated Temple of Vesta. It stood at the 
corner of the Forum. (See page 188.) 



The Temple of Vesta. 



335 



between the columns were walled up by the SavelK family, 
who had the building consecrated, under the title of St. 
Stefano delle Carrozze. In 1560, the dedication was 
changed to that of Sta. Maria del Sole. At the commence- 
ment of this century, the spaces between the columns were 
re-opened, and the building restored, as far as possible, to 
its original condition. At the same time some of the 
accumulation, which covers the ancient level around it, was 
removed on the right side, to show the foundations of the 
steps which surrounded it. 

Almost immediately opposite is 

THE CHURCH OF STA. MARIA IX OOSMEDIN. 

This Church is said to have been built by Pope Dionysius, 
259-69 — or about fifty years before St. John Lateran was 
constructed, — within the remains of an ancient edifice, of 
which nine Corinthian columns are visible, incorporated 
into the walls of the original building. These columns are 
supposed by some to be part of a Temple of Ceres and 
Proserpine, by others of a Temple dedicated to Pudicizia 
Patrizia, and by others again to be the remains of a portico 
called the Schola Grasca. In 772 St. Adrian I. embellished 
the Church sumptuously, and from the splendour of the 
ornamentation it received the name of Sta. Maria " in 
Cosmedin" from the Greek Kooyxo?. In 1118, Pope Gelasius 
II. was elected within it, and in 1191, Celestine III. Here 
also the Antipope Benedict XII. was proclaimed. By the 
commencement of the 18th century it had become sur- 
rounded by accumulation to the depth of six feet, so that 
it was necessary to descend into the Church by a flight 
of steps. 

In 1715, Clement XL removed this accumulation by 



336 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



lowering the Piazza to its present level. In 1718, the 
Titular Cardinal Annibale Albani employed Giuseppe Sardi 
to build the present facade. 

The popular name of this Church is The Bocca dell a 
Veeita, from a curious circular marble mask of large size, 
at the end of the portico on the left. It originally formed 
the opening to a small drain, or an outlet for the water of a 
fountain; but the people believe that it once stood upon the 
altar of Jupiter Amnion, as an instrument of ordeal for 
those accused of perjury, on whose hands, when placed 
within it, the mouth closed if they were guilty. 

The pavement of the nave is constructed of beautiful Opus 
Alexandrinum. The raised portion towards the altar 
formed the platform for the choir, of Phrygian marble, like 
that in the Basilica of St. Clemente, but only the ambones 
now remain. The little tabernacle, richly ornamented with 
mosaic, against the left pier of the apse, is the work of 
Biodati Gosmati, by whom it may be presumed is the mosaic 
work in the marble baldachino, supported by four columns 
of red Egyptian granite, above the high altar. 

A small portion of the fresco painting, with which Adrian 
I. adorned the walls, may be seen close to the mosaic taber- 
nacle, but it will be requisite to get the Sacristan to move 
back the woodwork which conceals it. The ancient episcopal 
chair, with lions on each side, at the end of the apse, is 
believed to date from the twelfth century. Above, is an 
ancient painting of the Madonna, attributed to the same 
period. In the left wall, looking towards the altar, we 
recognise three of the Corinthian columns of the Temple of 
Pudicizia Patrizia (?), and six in the front wall of the 
Church. In the Sacristy there is an exceedingly interesting 
mosaic, representing the Virgin and St. Joseph, of the time 



The Janus Quadrifrotis. 



337 



of John VIL, 705-8. It is a fragment of that which 
adorned the Chapel of the Madonna in old St. Peter's, from 
whence it was removed here. 

On leaving this Church, we turn to the right, and keeping 
along the wall opposite to the Temple of Vesta, leave the 
piazza at the corner, and continuing directly on across the 
Yia dei Cerchi, find the short Via di San Georgio in Yela- 
bro, on the right, at the end of, and below which, we see a 
massive ruin, 

THE JANUS QTJADBIFBONS, 
built entirely of great solid blocks of white marble. It is 
a magnificent example, and the only one left to us, of the 
grand four-fronted arches, of which many existed in ancient 
Eome, built at the spots where two roads crossed. 

Here, in the middle of Tue Foktjm Boasium — the cattle 
market — the Yia Nova and Yicus Jugarius intersected each 
other, and the arch, while forming a grand piece of street 
architecture, afforded shelter to the cattle dealers, in the 
transaction of their business, both from the rain in winter 
and from the sun's rays during the heat of summer. These 
arches, in fact, served the purpose of second class basilicas 
for the use of the frequenters of the lesser Fora. The many 
holes at the junction of the blocks were made to abstract the 
metal pins. 

Close by stands a small square arch, richly ornamented, 
which affords an example of honorary monuments of this 
description ; it is called 

THE GOLDSMITH'S ARCH, 

from the circumstance of its having been erected by the 

money-changers and merchants who had their shops in this 

market-place, in honour of Septimius Sevcrus, for some 
z 



338 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



privileges be had granted them. The inscription, like that 
upon the triumphal arch of Septimhis Severus, on the 
Forum, bears evidence to the record that Caracalla, after 
the murder of his brother at Gefca, obliterated his name 
from every public monument. It will easily be perceived 
that the original words at the end of the third line were 
obliterated by lowering the surface of the ground, and 
replaced by those we now read. One end of this arch is 
embedded into 

THE CHUECH OF ST. GIOKGIO IN VELABKO, 

built up against it. This ancient Church, dedicated to St. 
George of Cappadocia, the patron saint of England, is 
believed to have been built in the fourth century. In the 
seventh it was restored by Leo II., 682-84; and in the 
eighth it was rebuilt . by Pope Zaccaria, 741-52. Gregory 
IV., 827-44, ornamented the tribune, and added two porti- 
coes, and about the year 1295 the Titular Cardinal, Giacomo 
Gaetano Stefaneschi, restored the portico on the front, as 
we read in the metrical inscription in Gothic letters upon 
the cornice, and employed the celebrated painter Giotto to 
paint the wall of the tribune. Unfortunately these frescoes 
have been so entirely repainted over by inferior hands that 
not a trace of the master's touches can be recognised. The 
Church was again restored by Cardinal Giacomo Serra, and 
in 1703 Cardinal Giuseppe Imperiali restored the ceiling, 
and had it painted by Francesco Civalli, and at the same 
time erected the iron railings between the columns of the 
portico. Finally, it was again restored in 1819, by the con- 
fraternity of Sta. Maria del Pianto, to whom it had been 
conceded by Pius VII., but without any alteration being 
made in its original form. 



The Church of St. Giorgio in Velabro. 



339 



The aisles are divided from the nave by fifteen columns 
of different marbles and orders, spoils from ancient edifices. 
The ciborium, ornamented with cosmati mosaics, is sup- 
ported by four columns of black granite, closely resembling 
porphyry. 

Unfortunately, this interesting Church is seldom to be 
found open. 

Returning to the Clmrch of Sta. Maria in Cosmedin, and 
continuing onwards along the Via della Salara, the first 
lane upon the left, called the Yia di S. Sabina, leads up 
to the Aventine (seepage 350).* 

A little further on, we pass under a modern arch, which 
spaus the road, and which marks the site of The Porta Trt- 
•gemina, in the Servian circuit. A few yards further on, 
the road runs along the bank of the river, and turns to the 
left by the modern marble yard. 

The extensive building, on the opposite side of the river, 
is the great Hospital of San Michele. 

If, instead of continuing along the road, we pass through 
the marble yard and proceed a few hundred yards along 
the river bank, we shall come to the spot where The Ancient 
Marmorata, and the Quays for landing the merchandise 
brought up the Tiber, was discovered in the year 1869, toge- 
ther with several hundred blocks of rare marble, of different 
qualities, many of large size, lying just where they had been 
disembarked. Unfortunately, the mud and sand from the 
river has been allowed to gather again over these quays, 
until they are once more almost entirely hidden. 

In the vineyard which borders the river, and back about a 
hundred yards from the bank, stand some maguificent re- 



* The hurried traveller might do well to turn aside hero and visit the objects oj 
interest on the Aventine, and then, returning to this spot, continue this section. 



34) 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



mains of The Emporium of ancient Rome, for the reception 
of the merchandise landed here. They are very interesting, 
not only from their great extent, bnt as affording one of 
the very few existing examples of Opus incertum, that mode 
of constrnction which preceded the Ojpus reticulatum, and 
passed ont of nse about two hundred years before Christ. 
The vineyard, in which the rains of the Emporium stand, is 
private property, but, on proper application, admittance can 
be obtained. The entrance is on the right, directly after 
passing the modern marble yard. 

A few yards along the road, after passing the modern 
marble yard, we come to a brick arch, in a somewhat ruinous 
condition. This, and other immense buttress-like masses of 
brick wall, we have just passed upon the left, jutting out 
from the side of the Aventine, are remains of The Great 
Granaries, in which corn brought up the Tiber was stored. 

A little further, on the right, we find a gateway in the 
wall which borders the road. Passing through this, and 
turning immediately to the left, we come to 

THE PROTESTANT CEMETERY, 

dedicated for the interment of persons of all nations not 
Roman Catholics, but especially dear to Englishmen, for the 
sake of the many buried here, whose names are household 
words. A little to the right on entering is the monument 
to the sculptor, Richard Wyatt, with his medallion portrait 
sculptured by John Gibson, at whose expense the monument 
was erected. A little further to the right, and on the higher 
ground, is the spot where Gibson himself lies buried. Next 
to his monument is that, richly inlaid with cosmati mosaic, to 
the memory of the Rev. Francis Woodward, chaplain to the 
English Congregation in Rome for fifteen years. Further 



The Protestant Cemetery. 



341 



again, on the right, lies Henry S. P. Winterbotham, H.M.'s 
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, who 
died so prematurely, in 1874. On the higher ground, behind 
his grave, lie the remains of the sculptor, Alfred Gatley. The 
heart of the poet Shelley lies under a plain slab at the foot 
of one of the towers in the Aurelian wall, which rises at the 
back. To reach the spot we must ascend the path which 
leads directly upwards from the gate, and, turning to the 
left, shall find it on the right, after proceeding a few yards 
along the wall. Keats, on whose simple headstone are 
inscribed the words, " Here lies one whose name was writ 
in water," lies in what is called the old cemetery, to the left 
of that now in use, and which was surrounded by a low 
wall and ditch, and closed in the year 1825. Near his grave 
are those of John Bell, the eminent surgeon and author of the 
" Anatomy of Expression;" and of Augustus William Hare, 
" the elder of the two brothers who wrote the ' Guesses at 
Truth.' " There is an atmosphere of quiet solemn repose 
about the place which is eminently impressive, but it is a pity 
that many of the monuments are not as well caregl for as 
others, upon which the friends and relations of the departed 
are still mindful enough to spend money. It is a pity there 
is not a fund which would insure the whole being kept 
in proper order, without reference to whether those left 
behind have become forgetful, or have also passed away.* 

* Should any of the readers of this book l)e unfortunate enough to lose any relation 
in Rome, they are especially cautioned against the sDlicitations of the custode of this 
•cemetery for the execution of any monument they may desire to erect, or his recom- 
mendations of any one to undertake the task. It is scarcely necessary to say, that he 
puts himself forward through interested motives, not advantageous either to those who 
require such works, or those who execute them. The best course persons can follow is 
to ask some sculptor of their own nation to recommend to them a good reliable mason, 
and to superintend tbe execution of the work for them. Some of the best executed 
monuments in the cemetery have been made by the Guiseppe Sassi — wbose address 
is given among others at the enft of the introduction. He is a simple mason, with 
very little, or nothing, to show in his workshop, but is an excellent workman, and 
thoroughly understands his business. 



342 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



At the lower level of the cemetery is a kind of chapel, 
erected at the expense of Mrs. King, the mother of the Mr. 
King who was formerly United States Ambassador to 
Rome, for the temporary reception of those whose remains 
are to be carried back to their native lands. 

At the back, and partly upon the gronnd of the old 
cemetery, stands 

THE PYRAMID OF CAIUS CESTIUS, 

one of the sepulchral monuments upon the old Ostian road, 
enclosed by Aurelian in the line of his wall of fortification. 
It is formed of concrete, faced with blocks of pure white 
marble, now black with age and exposure to the weather. 
The Caius Cestius, whose name it records, lived in the 
time of Augustus, and the inscription, seen on the other 
side from the road leading to St. Paul's, narrates that it 
was erected by his executors, among whom were M. 
Valerius, Messalla Corvinus, and L. Junius Silanus, within 
the period of 330 days. In the year 1663, it was cleared of 
the accumulation which had risen around it to the height 
of about 16 feet, and the sepulchral chamber, decorated with 
paintings, discovered. The pyramid measures 114 feet in 
height, and at the base 90 feet on each side. 

The great mound we see on the left, as we leave the 
Cemetery, is 

MONTE TESTACCIO, 

an artificial hill of about 160 feet in height, formed entirely 
of broken pottery. As there is no rubbish among these 
fragments, and as they are all portions of vessels which had 
never been used, it is evident that there must have been a 
manufactory of terra cotta vessels, ollce, dolim, amphoroe, and 



Monte Testaccio. 



348 



the like, at this spot, so extensive that the mere accumula- 
tion of the vessels broken in the firing, or otherwise, was 
sufficient to form this enormous mound. Chambers have 
been hollowed out in the sides, and converted into wine 
cellars. The air passing through the interstices between 
the fragments, makes these chambers intensely cold, 
even during the hottest days of summer, and especially 
fitted for the purpose to which they are applied. The place 
is a great resort for the Roman people during the summer 
afternoons, on account of the coolness and excellent quality 
of the wine sold here. 

Returning: to the road, and continuing onwards to the 
right, we pass on to the Ostian way, through The Porta 
San Paolo, rebuilt by Belisarius, on the site of the Porta 
Ostiensis, of the earlier empire. Immediately on the right, 
is the Pyramid of Caius Cestius (see page 342), and, after 
passing under the railway bridge, we come to A humble 
little Chapel, upon the left, above the door of which is a 
rude bas-relief, representing St. Paul and St. Peter embrac- 
ing. This is said to be the spot where they bade farewell to 
each other when on their way to martyrdom. 

Another three quarters of a mile brings us to an immense 
building, like a great factory, with a bell tower at one end, 
surmounted by what, in the distance, looks like a gigantic 
birdcage. This is 

THE BASILICA OF ST. PAUL, 

outside the walls, but, however unprepossessing the exterior 
may appear, or however open to criticism the tower may be, 
the interior is grand and magnificent beyond description. 

This ancient Church— the Basilica which, in olden times, 
was under the special protection of England — was burnt to 



344 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



the ground on the night of the 15th. of July, 1823 — that 
which preceded the death of Pius VII., and has since been 
rebuilt, or rather is still in course of rebuilding, for the 
facade, which faces towards the river, is not yet finished. 

On this spot, where the body of St. Paul was buried, 
immediately after his martyrdom, Anacletus, the third 
Bishop of Rome, 78-91, built an oratory, in place of which 
Constantine the Great founded a Church, in the year 324, 
at the prayer of St. Sylvester, at the same time when the 
church in honour of St. Peter was founded upon the Vatican. 
In the year 386, the Emperor Valentinianus II. commenced 
to rebuild the Church, which was completed by Tbeodosius 
and Honorius, as is recorded on the arch which separates 
the tribune from the nave, as follows : — 

THEODOSIVS. GOSPIT PERFECIT HONGEIUS AULAM DOCTOEIS 

M£JNDI SAGEATAM COEPOEE PAULL 

The Basilica was afterwards restored and embellished 
successively by the Popes St. Leo L, 440-61, St. Symma- 
chus, 498-514, Hormisdas, 514-23, John I., 523-26, St- 
Gregory I., 590-604, Sergius I., 687-701, John VI., 701-5, 
Gregory II, 715-31. In the time of Leo III, 795-816, it 
was in great part destroyed by a terrible earthquake, and 
was restored by him ; but during all these restorations and 
embellishments the original formation of the edifice, as 
built by Theodosius and Honorius, was preserved. 

The ancient o/aadri-portico, through which the Basilica 
was entered, having fallen to rain, Benedict XIII. built a 
new portico, in the year 1725, composed of seven archways 
supported by fourteen marble columns, and at the same 
time repaired the mosaic with which the front was covered, 
the work of Pietro Ganallini, the celebrated pupil of Giotto. 

The Church was entered through three doorways, with 



The Basilica of St. Paul. 



345 



bronze doors, the central of which was remarkable for its 
beauty, and was made in Constantinople in the ye? t r 1070, 
during the pontificate of Alexander II., and at the expense 
of a certain Pantaleone Castelli, Roman Consul. The two 
aisles on each side were divided from the nave by eighty 
antique marble columns, twenty-four of which were of the 
richest Phrygian marble of the Corinthian order, and 
measured 38 ft. 6 in. in height and 12 ft. in circumference. 
It is supposed that they originally formed part of the 
Basilica Amelia on the Forum. The Church measured 
423 feet in length and 153 in width. The upper walls of 
the nave were decorated with frescoes representing subjects 
from the Old and Xew Testaments, painted by order of the 
Pontiffs, St, Leo I., 440-61, and St. Symmachus, 498-514. 
Beneath these were portraits of the Popes in chronological 
series, commenced by order of St. Leo L, and including all 
from St. Peter's to his own. ISText, Pope St. Symmachus 
completed the series down to his time, after which the 
portrait of each succeeding Pope was regularly added, down 
to that of Pius VII., 1800-23. 

The end of the nave, where it opens upon the transepts, 
was spanned by an immense arch, supported by two colossal 
columns of Greek marble, called salino. measuring 17 feet 
in circumference, and richly ornamented with mosaic, 
representing our Saviour with the twenty-four elders of the 
Revelations, twelve on each side. This arch was erected 
and ornamented in the year 440, at the expense of Oalla 
Placidia, sister of the Emperors Arcadius and Honorius. 
The vault of the tribune was enriched with mosaic, com- 
menced in the year 1226, under Honorius III., by Pietro 
Cavallini, and completed by the order of a certain Arnolfo 
Sacristi, and of Caetano Orsini, who afterwards became 



346 



TourisVs Handbook to Rome. 



Pope, under the title of Nicholas III., 1277-81. Beneath 
the arch of Galla Placidia stood the high altar, covered by 
a marble ciborium, ornamented with mosaic, the joint work 
of Arnolfo di Lapo and. Paolo Cosmati. The body of the 
altar was formed by an ancient Christian sarcophagus of 
white marble, covered with bas-reliefs, which was removed 
by Sixtus V., 1585-90, to the new chapel he had built at 
Sta. Maria Maggiore, and has since been transferred to the 
Lateran Museum. Beneath the altar was the Confession,. 
where repose the remains of the Apostle of the Gentiles. 

With the exception of a few, though important details,, 
all these things were destroyed by the fire in 1823, but the 
above description, when compared with the Basilica as it 
now is, will be sufficient to show that it has been rebuilt 
with the most scrupulous regard to its original form, and, as 
its plan and internal arrangement were never altered during* 
the many restorations it underwent, we, as a matter of course, 
have in the new Church an exact representation of one of 
the larger Basilicas of the Constantinian period. At the very 
commencement of his reign, Leo XII., 1823-28, decreed that 
the Basilica should rise from its ruins with all the splendour 
and magnificence possible. Letters apostolic were sent to 
all the Bishops of the Catholic world, and to the faithful of 
all nations. The appeal was generously responded to, a 
large amount was set apart from the revenues of the State, 
and the result we now see before us. The walls have been 
rebuilt upon the original foundations : the 80 columns have 
been replaced by so many monoliths of granite of the Semp- 
lon, and two of colossal dimensions supply the place of 
those of Greek marble, which sustained the arch of Galla 
Placidia. The ancient mosaics upon the face of the arch, 
and upon the vault of the apse, have been carefully restored 



The Basilica of St. Paul 



347 



to almost their primitive condition, though that of the apse 
still shows considerable trace of the iire. Other paintings 
on the wall of the nave, by Gagliardi, Porfesti, and other 
modern Roman artists, supply the place of those executed 
during the pontificate of St. Leo L, and the chronological 
series of Papal portraits has been replaced by another, 
executed in mosaic. The ancient ciborium, fortunately, 
remained almost uninjured, and still occupies its original 
position, covered by a more magnificent balclachino, sup- 
ported by four splendid columns of oriental alabaster, the 
offering of Mahomet Ali, Viceroy of Egypt, standing on 
pedestals inlaid with a portion of a large quantity of lapis 
lazuli and malachite, sent by the Emperor of Russia for the 
adornment of the Church. The Yiceroy of Egypt also sent 
the columns of oriental alabaster, which stand on the inner 
side of the main entrance, not yet finished, and all the 
panelling, of the same material, which adorns the end walls 
of the transepts and other parts of the basilica. The Confes- 
sion has been reconstructed with o-reater niaomificonce. and 
the floor of the apse, to which we ascend by two steps of red 
oriental granite, is paved with ancient marble of the rarest 
quality. The sides of the apse, and the altars at the ends 
of the transepts, have been ornamented with beautiful Co- 
rinthian columns of Phrygian marble, most skilfully made 
from the fragments which remained uncalcined of those 
which originally ornamented the nave, fitted upon cores of 
peperino. 

Above the altar, dedicated to St. Paul, at the end of the 
left transept, is a picture of his conversion, by Camuecini, 
and in the niches, on the sides, are statues of St. Gregory, 
by Lauoureur, and St. Romualdo, by Stocchi. 

On the left of this altar, as we turn from it towards the 



348 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



tribune, is the chapel of St. Stephen, ornamented with 
pictures illustrating his martyrdom, and, above the altar, a 
statue of the Saint, by Rainaldi. 

Next to this is the chapel dedicated to the Ancient 
Crucifix, which stands over the altar, said to have been 
carved by CavalUni, the pupil of Giotto. It was this 
crucified figure of our Saviour which is said to have spoken 
to St. Bridget, of whom there is a statue in the ck&pel. In 
one corner is a very ancient wooden statue of St. Paul, in 
the condition in which it was rescued from the fire. 

Passing the apse we come to the Chapel of the Sacrament, 
built by Carlo Madenw, in 1629, and which was left 
almost uninjured by the fire ; and next to it the chapel of 
St. Benedict, with a seated statue of the Saint, by Tenerani. 

Above the altar at the end of the right transept, is an 
exceedingly beautiful mosaic copy — recently placed — of the 
Madonna di Monte Luco, by Giulio Romano and Francesco 
Penna, now in the third room of the Picture Gallery at the 
Vatican. (See jjage 75.) 

At each side of the nave, as we ascend to the higher level 
of the transepts, are colossal statues of St. Peter and 
St. Paul, by Obicl and Girometti. The windows in the 
lateral walls are filled with richly stained glass, each 
window giving a full length representation of an apostle or 
saint. 

The cloisters of the Benedictine Monastery, attached to 
this Church, are well worth visiting Ladies can only see 
them through the railing which closes the entrance. They 
are in the form of a quadriportico, sustained by twisted 
columns, in pairs, enriched with Cosmati mosaic of the 13th 
century, above which is a cornice richly ornamented in the 
same manner. On the walls are a number of Christian 



The Church of St. Paolo alle ire Fontanc. 349 



inscriptions and monuments, which originally stood in the 
old Basilica. 

A little beyond the Basilica of St. Paul, the road bifur- 
cates, and upon that on the left, at the distance of about 
two miles, we find 

THE CHUECH OF ST. PAOLO ALLE TEE FONTANE, 

built upon the spot where St. Paul suffered martyrdom by 
decapitation. It is said that when his head was severed 
from his body it bounded, touching the ground three times, 
and at each spot a fountain gushed forth. The present 
Church, enclosing the fountains, was built in 159,9, by 
Giacomo della Porta, for Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini. 
The pavement has been recently ornamented with a very 
valuable mosaic, representing the Four Seasons, discovered 
in the excavations now being carried on at Ostia. 

There are also two other Churches here; one dedicated to 
Sta. Maria Scala Coelt, so called because St. Bernard, 
praying here one day for the dead, and passing into a state 
of ecstasy, saw ladders reaching from earth to heaven, by 
which a great number of souls were ascending from purga- 
tory. The Church stands above the ancient cemetery of 
St. Zeno, where, it is said, more than ten thousand martyrs, 
who suffered during the reign of Diocletian, were buried. 
It was rebuilt by Gia. Batiista della Porta, in 1582, for 
Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. The mosaics in the vault of 
the tribune were executed, shortly afterwards, by Francesco 
Zucca, a Florentine, from the designs of Giovanni de Vecchi. 
The other is The Ancient Basilica of S.S. Vincenzo and 
Anastasio, built by Honorius I., in 625. It was restored by 
Adrian I., about the year 772, and, in 796, Leo III. rebuilt 
it from the foundations. Charlemagne endowed it with a 



350 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



large extent of land in the territory of Siena. Innocent 
II., in 1128, rebuilt, from the foundations, the monastery- 
attached to it, and invited St. Bernard to send monks from 
Chiaravalle to inhabit it. He appointed as its first Abbot 
Pietro Bernardo Pisano, who afterwards became Pope, 
under the title of Eugenius III., 1145-50. The Basilica 
was again rebuilt by Honorius III., in 1221, since when, 
stripped to the walls, it has fallen into entire neglect. 

It is entered through an atrium, once richly decorated 
with fresco paintings, now almost entirely obliterated. A 
figure is pointed out as that of Pope Honorius. In the in- 
terior are rude frescoes of the Apostles, said to have been 
designed by Raphael. 

THE A VENTURE. 

Starting from the Piazza de Spagna, we follow the route 
laid down at the commencement of the last section (see 
page 326), to the Church of Sta. Maria in Cosmedin, and 
passing it, along the Via della Salara, take the second 
turning on the left, the Via di Sta. Sabina (counting the 
street by the side of the Church as one). It is a lane leading 
up the side of the hill, and on reaching the summit we turn 
to the right, and immediately upon the right find 

THE CHUECH OF STA. SABINA.* 

We ring the bell of the door upon the left, and gain 
access to the Church through the ancient portico and main 
entrance. The appearance of the portico is very much 
changed from what it was originally ; the spaces between 

* The little portico before the door — which is a lateral entrance, now closed — was 
once supported by columns of very rare green granite, but they were removed by PiuB 
VII. to ornament the Nuovo Braccio in the Vatican Museum. 



The Church of Sta. Sdbvna. 



351 



the columns have been walled np, and the half, on the further 
side of the handsome carved wood door, has been encroached 
upon by the buildings of the Monastery, so that we can 
only recognise four of the fluted columns of Phrygian 
marble, and four of the granite columns of which it was 
formed. The door of cypress wood, with subjects from 
the Scriptures carved upon the panels, dates from the 13th 
century. It has since been restored and streugthened ; 
the scroll-work which divides the panels is a later addition 
or restoration. 

According to some authorities this Church was erected 
on the site of the house belonging to the Saint, and in 
which she suffered martyrdom, during the reign of Hadrian; 
and according to others, on the site of a temple of Diana, 
or of Juno Regina, the twenty-four beautiful Corinthian 
columns of Parian marble belonging to which were utilized 
to divide the aisles of the Church from the nave. In fact, 
it would almost appear as if they had been left standing in 
their original positions, and the wall of the Church built 
round them. The beautiful carved imposts and architrave 
of the chief entrance also have all the appearance of having 
belonged to the veritable doorway of the temple, whether 
in its original position or not. 

The Church was built, or the temple converted into a 
Church, by a certain Illyrian priest, named Peter, in the 
year 425, during the reign of Cclestine L, as recorded by 
an immense inscription, commencing Culmen Apostolic u rn 
cum Caelestinus haberet, in mosaic, in the interior of the 
Church, over the main entrance. At each side of the 
inscription is a female figure, with a book in her hand, and 
below the one are the words, Ecclesia ex circumcisione, and 
below the other, Ecclesia ex gentibus. This mosaic ori- 



352 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



ginally covered the whole inside of the front wall, bat 
was reduced to its present form by Sixtus Y., 1535-90. In 
the spandrils of the arches which spring from the columns 
there are also curious mosaics of pietra dura, porphyry, 
serpentine, &c, part of the original decoration. Between 
the years 590 and 604 St. Gregory the Great preached 
several of his Homilies within its w r alls. In 82-1 it was 
restored by Eugenius III. Honorius ELL, 1216-27, having 
confirmed the Dominican order, gave this Church to St. 
Dominick, together with a considerable portion of the ad- 
joining Pontifical Palace, which he converted into a monas- 
tery, and here he lived with his monks. In 1238 the Church 
was newly consecrated by Gregory IX. In 1441 it was again 
restored, by Cardinal Julius Cesarini, and finally Sixtus V., 
1585-90, restored it as we see, of which the inscription in 
the middle of the tribune is a record. 

On the pavement are several interesting sepulchral slabs, 
on which portraits of the defunct are incised, after the 
fashion of monumental brasses ; and one particularly, to the 
memory of Munio da Zarnora. the seventh general of the 
order, who died in the year 1300, during the pontificate of 
Boniface VIIL, and w T hose figure is represented in mosaic. 

Above the altar of the Chapel of the Rosary, at the end 
of the right aisle, is a very beautiful picture by Sassoferrato, 
representing the Madonna of the Rosary with St. Dominick 
on one side and St. Katherine on the other, and on the wall 
near it is the very fine 15th century monument of Cardinal 
D'Ausia, who erected the chapel. 

About midway along the right aisle is the Chapel of St. 
Hyacinth, of which the walls are painted in fresco by the 
Zuccheri. That on the right, representing the canonisation 
of the saint, by Federico Zuccliero, and that on the left, 



The Church of St. Alessio. 



353 



representing St. Dominick giving the habit to St. Hyacinth 
and to the blessed Geslas, by Taddeo Zuccheri. The painting 
above the altar is by Lavinia Fontanel. 

Immediately opposite, in the left aisle, is the handsome 
chapel of the D'Elci family, dedicated to St. Katherine. 
The frescoes on the vault of the cupola are by Giovanni 
Odazi. 

Through the immense quadriporticus of the cloister, sup- 
ported by small colamns, from which rise narrow Lombard 
arches, we pass into the garden, where still flourishes a fine 
bitter orange tree, planted by St. Dominick. Women can 
only see this through a window which opens from the portico. 

Some interesting excavations were made in the year 1856 
upon the side of the Aventine to which this garden leads, 
but they are now filled in again. 

Turning to the right on leaving Sta. Sabina, a few steps 
brings us to a doorway, above which are the words Istituto 
dei Ciechi. Through it we enter a rectangular courtyard, 
on the further side of which is 

THE CHURCH OF ST. ALESSIO,* 

dedicated to the pilgrim saint, Alexius, whose story is 
represented on the ancient fresco painting upon one of the 
piers of the subterranean Basilica of St. Clemente. 

According to tradition this Church was founded in the 
fifth century, upon the site of the house of Euphemianus, 
the father of Alexius, and was originally dedicated to St. 
Boniface, but there is no positive record regarding it earlier 
than the 10th century, in which the best authorities believe 
it to have been built. 

Originally the aisles were divided from the nave by six- 

* To obtain entrance to the Church, ring the hell of the door on the left. 
A A 



354 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



teen columns, bnt in the year 1750 the Church was entirely 
modernized, and reduced to its present uninteresting condi- 
tion by Cardinal Angelo Maria Quirini, who employed 
Tommasso di Marchis for the purpose. It has recently been 
re-decorated without receiving further alteration. 

At the entrance end of the left aisle there is preserved, in a 
glass case, what is believed to be a portion of the wooden 
staircase under which the poor pilgrim Alexius was in 
charity permitted to sleep while he abode for seventeen 
years, in his father's house, unrecognised by his relations 
and his deserted bride. In front of this relic is a mediocre 
statue of the saint. 

On each side of the episcopal chair, at the end of the 
tribune, is a small column very beautifully inlaid with 
Cosmati mosaic, vestiges no doubt of the decoration of the 
original Church, of which also the beautiful opus Alex an ~ 
drinum of the pavement — restored though it is — formed 
part. In a large recess in the passage leading to the 
Sacristy is a fine (for the period) monumental statue of 
Cardinal Gnidi de' Bagni, who lived in the time of Urban 
VIII., 1623-44, by Domenico Guidi. 

Below the tribune is an interesting crypt well worth 
visiting. It is probable that this is the level of the primitive 
Chnrch, and that the small columns which now support the 
pavement above, formed part of the construction of the 
original tribune. At the back of the apse are the remains 
of an ancient episcopal chair. 

Upon the wall of the quadriportico which surrounds the 
garden of the monastery, filled with orange trees, and 
through, which we enter the Church, are some interesting 
inscriptions, which were removed from the interior of the 
Church when it was modernized in 1 750. 



The Church of Sta. Maria Aventina. 



355 



Continuing on to the right, after leaving this Church, we 
come to a kind of piazza, formed on the left side by a series 
of broad pilasters, ornamented with trophies. Opposite to 
these, there is a gateway, through which, by ringing at the 
bell, we can gain admittance into the garden of The 
Priorato of the Knights of Malta ; but, before doing 
so, let us peep through the key-hole, and obtain one of 
the prettiest views of St. Peter's to be seen in Rome. 

Passing along an avenue of laurels, we reach the declivity 
of the Aventine, and from the garden terrace can enjoy a 
magnificent view of the river, with The Janiculum and 
St. Peter's beyond, and the city lying spread out upon the 
right. 

To the left of the terrace is 

THE CHUECH OF STA. MAEIA AVENTINA, 

sometimes also called St. Basilio, attached to the Priory. 
Nothing is known regarding the early history of this 
Church beyond the fact that it was one of the twenty 
Abbacies of Rome. It was restored by St. Pius V., 1566- 
72, who built the contiguous habitation. In 1765 it was 
completely modernized by Glo Battista Piranesi for Cardinal 
Rezzonico, but possesses no features of the least interest 
beyond a few quaint monuments of Grand Masters of tli3 
Order of St. J ohn of Jerusalem, looking singularly out of 
character with the modern niches in which they are now 
arranged. 

On the right is the statue of the architect, Piranesi, also 
looking very much out of place. 

Returning past the Churches of St. Alessio and Sta. 
Sibina, we continue onwards until we find a turning to the 



356 



Touristr-s Handbook to Borne, 



right, and proceeding a short distance along this we find, 
on the left, 

THE CHUBCH OF ST. PEISCA, 

said to have been built by Pope Eutichianus, 275-83, on 
the site of the house in which St. Peter lived, and where 
he baptised Sta. Prisca and many others to the faith of 
Christ. It was first dedicated to St. Aquila, and is men- 
tioned in the acts of the Second Roman Council, held by 
Pope St. Symmachus in 449, by the title of S.S. Aquila and 
Prisca. It was restored by Adrian I., in 772, and after- 
wards by Callixtus III., 1455-58. In 1600 Cardinal 
Benedetto Guistiniani altered it considerably, and rebuilt 
the facade from the designs of Carlo Lombardo di Arezzo. 
Finally, it was reduced to its present condition by Clement 
XII., 1730-40. It is very seldom open, except on the Festa 
of St. Prisca, which falls on the 18th of January. 

In the vineyard belonging to Prince Torlonia, the entrance 
to which is immediately opposite to this Church, a consider- 
able portion of The Wall of Fortification, built by Ancus 
Maetius around the Aventine, when he enclosed it within 
the limits of the city, was discovered a few years ago. It 
is some fifty feet in height, and is the most remarkable 
among the remains of the Regal period yet discovered. A 
polite request to enter the vineyard is always granted. 

In another part of the vineyard some very interesting 
remains of a Roman house have been discovered, beneath a 
modern building belonging to the Jesuit Fathers. 

If on leaving the vineyard we continue along the lane to 
the right, it will be found to terminate in another crossing 
it at right angles. Following this to the right, will take us 
to the Porta San Paolo {see page 349), and to the left, 



The Church of St. Pietro in Montorio. 



357 



direct to the Colosseum, past the Church of St. Gregory 
(seepage 208). 

Turning to the left, on leaving the vineyard, and keeping 
to the left, we make onr way back to the lane by which we 
ascended the Aventine, and from thence can take the latter 
half of the last section, on to St. Paul's outside the walls, 
commencing at page 343. 

CHTJECHES, VILLAS, &c, NOT SITUATED 
WITHCs THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS. 

Ascending the side of the Janiculum by the Yia Gari- 
baldi (see page 311), we come to 

THE CEUECH OF ST. PIETKO IX MOXTOEIO, 

from the terrace in front of which there is a magnificent 
view of the city. 

This Church is called in Montorio from the golden 
coloured sand with which the hill abounds. It is said to 
rtiarlt the site of St. Peter's martyrdom, though according 
to some authorities, he was crucified upon the Vatican. 
There is no record of the date when a Church was first 
founded here, but tradition ascribes it to the time of Con- 
stantine. It is only known that in ancient times the 
Church went by the name of Sta. Maria, and also St. Angelo, 
and that it was one of the twenty Abbacies of Rome. In 
progress of time it became abandoned, and remained so 
until the year 14:72, when it was conceded to the Fran- 
ciscans, for whom Ferdinand TV. and Elizabeth of Spaiu 
rebuilt the Church, from the designs of Bacio PinteJU. 

The first chapel on the right is celebrated for its paintings, 
executed in oil, upon the walls by Sebastiano del Piombo, 



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Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



from drawings by Michael Angelo ; but, unfortunately, they 
have become so black as to be scarcely recognisable. The 
principal subject is the Flagellation, on the end wall. 

The fourth chapel on the right has an altarpiece, repre- 
senting the Conversion of St. Paul, by Vasari. The statues 
of Keligion and Justice, the monument of Cardinal del 
Monte, and other sculptures in the chapel, are by Amman- 
nati. The cherubs which support the balustrade are parti- 
cularly fine. 

Raphael's celebrated Transfiguration was painted for this 
Church, and occupied the place on the wall of the choir 
behind the high altar, where there is now a copy of Guido's 
Crucifixion of St. Peter. It was removed from the Church 
and taken to Paris by Napoleon L, and when, in 1815, it was 
returned, with the other works of art carried off by the 
French, it was placed by Pius VII., for better preservation, 
in the Picture Gallery of the Vatican. 

The first chapel after passing the high altar was painted 
by Leonardo Milanese, and the picture over the altar, of St. 
John baptising in the Jordan, is by his master, Daniele da 
Volterra, though by some it has been attributed to Cecchino 
Salviati. 

The second chapel contains a Dead Christ and other 
subjects from the Passion, attributed to Vandyke, but 
nothing positive is known regarding them. 

The fourth chapel was restored by Bernini, and contains 
some exceedingly interesting sculptures of the seventeenth 
century by Andrea Bolgi. 

The fifth chapel contains a fresco of St. Francis receiving 
the Stigmate, painted by Giovanni de' Vecchi, from, it is 
said, a design by Michael Angelo. 

Between the third and fourth chapels on the right there 



The Villa PampMU Doria. 



359 



is a door which leads into the cloister of the convent, where 
there is a beautiful little circular temple, built by Bramante 
at the expense of Ferdinand of Spain, upon the spot where 
it is said that St. Peter was crucified. 

Continuing our ascent up the Janiculum — and from each 
higher point we obtain a still more extended view over the 
city — we come to the grand Fountain of the Aqua Paolo, 
built by Fontanel, in 1612, for Paul V., whose name it 
bears. It is supplied by the waters of the Lake of Brac- 
ciano, conveyed by the old aqueduct of Trajan. The six 
Ionic columns of red granite which ornament the fountain 
were taken from the remains of the Temple of Minerva, 
which stood in the Forum Transitorium, and of which con- 
siderable remains were in existence in the 16th century. 

Ascending still further, we reach the Porta San Pan- 
ckazio, which marks the site of The Porta Aurelia, in the 
Aurelian Circuit. The modern gate was entirely destroyed 
by the French when they besieged Rome in 1849, and en- 
tered at this point. It has since been rebuilt by Pius IX. 

Immediately beyond the gate is the entrance to 

THE VILLA PAMPHILI DOEIA, 

built from the designs of Antinori and Algardi, for Innocent 
X., who presented it, in 1650, to Olympia Maidalchini, the 
wife of his brother. The villa is not opened to the public, 
nor does it contain anything to interest, but the grounds, 
which are open to pedestrians and to tivo-horse carriages on 
Mondays and Fridays, after twelve o'clock, are well worth 
visiting, and form one of the pleasantest drives in the neigh- 
bourhood of Rome. They contain some very fiue stone 
pines, and during the spring the grass is completely 
carpeted with violets and wild anemonies. From the 



360 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



terrace, in front of the villa, there is a very fine view of 
St. Peter's, and the country in that direction. Some 
interesting Colohbaria were discovered in the grounds 
of this villa a few years ago. 



Proceeding along The Via Vexte Settembre from the 
Chnrch of Sta. Maria della Vittoria (page 247), which we 
pass on the left, we reach The Porta Pia, which marks the 
site of the ancient Porta Nomektana. It was in great part 
rebuilt by Michael Angelo in 1564, for Pins IV., bnt was 
not completed till the commencement of the reign of H.H. 
Pins IX. It is decorated externally with statues of St. 
Agnes and St. Alexander, to whose Basilicas it leads. 

It was at this point that the Italian army entered Home 
on the 20th of September, 1870. The gate received con- 
siderable damage during the attack, but the place where the 
breach was made is situated a few yards along the wall, 
turning to the left after passing through the gate. The 
spot is marked by a commemorative tablet, and close to the 
gate is another tablet, erected on the 20th of September, 
1874, bearing the names of the Italians who fell during the 
attack. 

A little distance along the road outside the gate, we pass, 
on the right side, the modern Villa Torloxia. It can be 
visited by order obtainable at the Palazzo Torlonia, in the 
Piazza Venezia, but, beyond being handsomely furnished, 
possesses no particular attractions. The grounds are chiefly 
remarkable for the number of imitation ruins with which 
they have been ornamented. 

The handsome building we see in the grounds on the left 
is the Villa Albani. (See page 369). 



The Basilica of St. Agnese. 



361 



At the distance of about a mile and a half from the gate, 
we find 

THE BASILICA OF ST. AGNESE. 

This ancient Basilica was founded by Constantine the 
Great, at the request of his daughter Constantia, on the 
spot where the remains of St. Agnes were laid in the 
Catacombs situated here. It was built down within them, 
and, judging from the depth, upon the floor of the second 
tier, like that of Santa Petronilla, recently discovered (see 
page 225), and from the position of this Basilica with regard 
to the Catacombs, which branch off on the same level with 
the floor of the Church, the stranger can understand the 
manner in which the Basilica of Sta. Petronilla was con- 
structed. 

At the beginning of the sixth century it was restored by 
Symmachus I., 498-514, but notwithstanding this, it had 
fallen into so insecure a condition by the commencement of 
the next century, that Honorius I., 625-40, rebuilt it from 
the foundations, and among other sumptuous decorations 
he lavished upon it, ornamented the vault of the tribune 
with the mosaic still existing. Durino- the siege of Borne 
by Astolphus, in the year 755, the Basilica, together with 
all the other edifices in this district, suffered great damage, 
which was repaired by Adrian I., 772-95, after Charlemagne 
had overthrown the Longobard rule in Italy. It was again 
devastated in 1241, when, in the time of Gregory IX., 
Frederick II. advanced against Rome, ami levelled with 
the ground castles, towers, palaces, and churches. It was 
restored immediately afterwards, and Alexander IV., in 
1256, consecrated with .great solemnity the three altars, 
dedicated to St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, 



.362 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



and St. Emerenziaua. In the fifteenth century it was again 
restored by Cardinal Guiliano della Revere, and again 
shortly afterwards by Julius II., 1503-18. 

During the fearful sack of Rome in 1527 it a third time 
suffered damage, and ultimate ruin, at the hand of the 
enemy, and was rebuilt by the celebrated Cardinal Giromalo 
Verallo. During the works necessary for the reconstruction 
of the steps which lead down into the Basilica, a number of 
antique statues were discovered, and the eight splendid 
bas-reliefs now in the Spada Collection. {See page 302). 

At the instance of Cardinal Paolo Emilio Sfrondato, 
nephew of Gregory XIV., and who was called the Cardinal 
of St. Cecilia, Paul V., 1605-25, reconstructed the high 
altar as we see it, and on the festa of the saint, the 21st of 
January, 1621, placed her remains with great pomp in an 
urn of silver. Finally, the Basilica has been redecorated 
throughout by H.H. Pius IX., as a thank-offering for his 
escape, when, in 1854, the floor of the refectory in the 
adjoining convent, where he was dining, gave way, and he 
was precipitated, with all in the room, into the chamber 
beneath. This occurrence is represented by a large fresco, 
a very mediocre work, painted on the wall of a room facing 
on the courtyard, through which we pass into the Church. 
It can be seen through a large window placed in front of it. 

Notwithstanding the many vicissitudes which have be- 
fallen this Church, and the repeated restorations and 
rebuildings it has undergone, it still — with the exception of 
the choir and ambones, which have disappeared — preserves 
the complete basilican model in a purer form than any other 
church, and in fact it is the only one which retains the 
upper portico, or gallery — answering to some extent to the 
clerestory in Gothic churches — -described by Vitruvius as 



The Church of Sta. Gonstantia. 



363 



that portion in the civil basilicas set apart for women. 
The aisles are divided from the nave by fourteen columns 
of considerable beauty. Eight of these are of Breccia di 
Serravezzo, four of Lucullan, or Porta Santa, very hand- 
somely marked, and two of Phrygian marble, beautifully 
fluted, which resemble so closely the fragments of fluted 
columns of Phrygian marble found in the ruins of the Pul- 
vinar of the Stadium of Domitian, on the Palatine, that we 
may conjecture they were taken from that place. Clement 
VIII., 1592-1605, would have removed the four columns of 
Lucullan maible, to ornament the Aldobrandini chapel, in 
the Church of Sta. Maria Sopra Minerva, had he not been 
dissuaded by Cardinal de Medici, who became his successor 
under the title of Leo XI. 

The small statue of St. Agnes, on the high altar, is an 
antique draped torso of very rare oriental alabaster, to 
which Niccolo Gordieri adapted the head, hands, and feet, 
in gilt bronze. 

In one of the chapels on the right is a beautiful bust of 
the Saviour, said to be by Michael Angelo. 

On the walls of the staircase are a number of Christian 
inscriptions, found in the neighbourhood of the Church. 
The Catacombs connected with this Church are among the 
most interesting in Rome, and more particularly so from 
the circumstance that the remains of the occupants are in 
many parts still lying untouched in their places. 

Close to the Basilica of St. Agnes, and within the same 
-enclosure, is the curious and interesting 

CHURCH OF STA. CONSTANTIA. 

It was a mausoleum built to receive the bodies of members 
of the family of Constantine the Great. In it were placed 



364 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



the remains of Constantina, the wife of Gallus Caesar ; of 
Helena, the wife of Julianas, who became Emperor in the 
year 360 ; and of Constantia, daughters of Constantine. 
Constantia is said to have consecrated her life to God, and 
to have died a virgin in the monastery attached to the 
Church of St. Agnes, and her remains were placed within 
this mausoleum in a magnificent porphyry sarcophagus, 
now in the hall of the Greek Cross in the Vatican Museum 
(seepage 77). 

In honour of Constantia, Alexander IV., 1254-61, dedi- 
cated the Mausoleum as a Christian Church, and thus it has 
come down to us in its original form entirely unaltered, 
except in so far that the portion supported by the twenty- 
four columns was rebuilt by Alexander, when he adapted it 
to Christian purposes. The beautiful mosaic upon the vault 
remains almost intact as it was originally composed, when 
the Mausoleum was erected in the time of Constantine. 

THE BASILICA OF SAN LOEENZO FUOBI LE MUBA 

is situated on the road to Tivoli, about three-quarters-of-a- 
mile outside the Porta San Giovanni. 

Here was the Campus Veranus, in which was situated the 
Catacomb of Sta. Cyriaca, where, among many other saints 
and martyrs, the body of St. Lorenzo, the first deacon of 
the Roman Church, was laid. It is said that Constantine 
founded this Basilica, at the prayer of St. Sylvester, in the 
year 330, and, according to Anastasius, the librarian, it 
enclosed the spot where the saint was buried, and had a 
tribune ornamented with porphyry and much silver. Sixtus 
III., 432-40, with the consent of the Emperor Valentinianus, 
ornamented the Confession with columns of porphyry, and 
enriched the Basilica in many parts with friezes of silver. 



The> Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuovl le Mara. 365 



St. Leo L, 440-61, influenced G-alla Placidia to restore and 
enlarge it, and to level the rising ground against which it 
was built, and which threatened to give way upon it. St. 
Hilary, 461-68, added a monastery and other buildings, and 
increased the endowments. St. Pelagius II., 578-90, rebuilt 
the tribune, of which the great arch of mosaic, immediately 
over the steps we now ascend to the presbytery, still remains. 
Gregory IL, 715-31, restored it in part; Adrian I., 772-95, 
re-roofed it ; and Leo III., 795-816, adorned it with hang- 
ings. About the year 1216, Honorius III. made very 
important alterations and additions. He closed the entrance, 
which faced, in exactly the contrary direction from the 
present ; threw down the tribune, with the exception of the 
arch of Pelagius IL, and filling the floor to the height of 
the actual presbytery, converted the primitive basilica into, 
as one might say, the tribune of another he built out from 
it, opening from the portico through which we now enter. 
Nicholas V., 1447-55, restored it without making material 
alterations. It was again restored in 1647, and it has 
recently been re-decorated throughout, and adorned with 
a number of fresco paintings of a high class of merit by 
Fracassini. 

The low portico through which we enter is supported by 
six antique columns of the Ionic order. The cornice above 
them is ornamented with a mosaic frieze of the thirteenth 
century, of which a considerable portion has been recently 
restored. The decoration of the front wall above the 
portico is imitation mosaic, in the same style in which it 
was originally ornamented. Within the portico are some 
exceedingly interesting sarcophagi, and the walls are 
painted in fresco with subjects very quaintly illustrating 
the lives of St. Stephen, St. Lawrence, and Honorius III., 



366 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



1216-27, to whose time they are attributed. Unfortunately,, 
they were entirely repainted over in the course of the- 
re cent restorations. 

We pass from the portico into that portion of the Basilica 
built by Honorius III. The aisles are divided from the 
nave by twenty- two antique columns of granite and cipoU 
lino. Their capitals, and the cornice above them, are miscel- 
laneous materials from Pagan temples. In the volutes of 
some of the capitals we can recognise the frog and the 
lizard — the emblems of the architects, Sauros and Batracos, 
the great architects who built the Portico of Octavia * (see 
page 328). 

On each side of the nave are the ambones, ornamented 
with Cosmati mosaic, but the enclosure of the choir has 
disappeared. 

At the end of the nave we find the great arch of 
mosaic, and leaving the portion added by Honorius III., 
enter what remains of the primitive Basilica of Pelagius. 
Prom the aisles, on the one side and the other, we descend to- 
its ancient level, lower than that of the Church of Honorius, 
and from the nave we ascend by several steps to the raised 
level formed by Honorius, above that of the Church of 
Pelagius, when he converted it into the presbytery or 
tribune of the Basilica, as altered by him. At the time 
when he made these alterations, he buried the columns of 
the Church of Pelagius to the height of the level of the 
portion he added. 

This filling in has been recently removed, disclosing once 
more the primitive level. 

* It is erroneously supposed, by some that these capitals may have belonged to the 
Portico of Octavia, or to one of the two temples within it ; but those temples and the 
portico which surrounded, them were of the Corinthian order, as may be seen from the 
remains still easting. 



The Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura. 



367 



It may not be easy for strangers to make out the different 
portions at a glance, but a little study will enable them to- 
understand the features of the primitive Basilica, and the 
alterations and additions made by Honorius. 

The Basilica of Pelagius consisted of a nave and two 
aisles, divided by fine Corinthian columns, taken from some 
ancient edifices of importance, of which twelve still remain, 
ten of Phrygian, and two of white Carara marble. The 
cornice above the capitals is formed of miscellaneous 
materials, portions of antique cornices put together with- 
out regard to uniformity, and above the cornice is the 
gallery, on the one side, and on the other, supported 
by twelve small columns, in accordance with what Vitru- 
vius describes in the civil Basilicas as the portions set 
apart for women.* 

The screen and episcopal chair, at the back of the raised 
presbytery of Honorius, are ornamented with very beautiful 
Gosmati mosaic of the thirteenth century. They were very 
carefully and exactly restored during the recent restora- 
tions. Turning towards the entrance and looking upwards, 
we can, from this point, see the inside of the arch of 
Pelagius, richly ornamented with mosaic. In the centre is 
the figure of our Saviour, seated on the globe, in the act of 
blessing. On his left are St. Peter, St. Lawrence, and 
Pelagius II., with the words PELAGIUS SECUNDUS; and 
on his left St. Paul, St. Stephen, and St. Hippo lytus. 

Beneath the ciborium, which is supported by four ancient 
porphyry columns, repose the remains of Saint Lawrence 
and Saint Stephen. 

To the left of the door, as we leave the Church, is a very 

* Compare the construction of this portion of the primitive Basilica with the Basilica 
of St. Agnes outside the walls. {See page 361). 



368 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



beautiful antique sarcophagus, ornamented with a bas-relief 
representing a nuptial scene, and surmounted by a mediaeval 
canopy. According to Mabillon, the remains of Cardinal 
Guglielmo Fieschi, nephew of Innocent IV., 1243-54, repose 
within this sarcophagus. 

The frescoes upon the attic of the nave, painted by 
Fracassini* in illustration of the lives of Saint Stephen and 
Saint Lawrence, are works of very great merit, and well 
worthy of observation and study. 

The granite column in front of the Basilica, surmounted 
by a bronze statue of Sfc. Lawrence, by Galetti, was erected 
by H.H. Pius IX., in 1865. 

Adjoining this Basilica is The Cemetery of St. Lorenzo, 
the great cemetery of Rome, originally opened by Napoleon 
I., but not brought into general use until after the great 
cholera of 1837. 



Ascending the Via San Basilio from the Piazza Bar- 
berini (pages 246 and 255) until it turns to the left, we shall 
see before us the entrance to 

THE VILLA LUDOVISI, 

built by Cardinal Ludovisi, nephew of Gregory XV., 1621- 
23. The grounds, which were laid out by Le Notre in the 
quaint style of the period, are very extensive, and command 
some fine views. The only portions of the villa itself 
opened to the public are the casinos. That on the right, as 
we enter the grounds, contains some fine pieces of antique 
sculpture ; and that at the end of the garden is celebrated 



* This highly talented painter was prematurely cut off a few years ago, at the early 
age of 37. 



The Villa Alb am. 



for The Fresco op Aurora, painted by Guercino, on the 
vault of the large room on the ground floor, and " Fame 
attended by Force and Virtue," also by him, on the first 
floor. The landscapes in the smaller rooms are by Guercino 
and Domeuichiuo, and the groups of cupids by Taddeo 
Zuccheri. 

The Sculpture Gallery. 

"We pass on into the second room, for the first does not 
contain any works worthy of notice. 

Second Boom. 

1. Maes reposing, found in the ] 29. Bacchus, 

neighbourhood of the Por- i 30. Mercury, 

tico of Octavia, and re- | 34. Venus. 

stored by Bernini. 41. The Ludovisi Juno, a avou- 

7. Oeestes discovered by Elec- , derfully beautiful colossal 

tra. head. 

9. Colossal bronze bust of j 43. Pluto carrying off Proser- 

Marcus Aurelius. pine, by lh ruin i. 

26. Bacchus. 46. Bust of Augustus. 

28. Arria and P-etus (?). See 47. Bust of Antinous. 

Dying Gladiator, page 118. | 52. Bust of Clodius Albinus. 

Turning to the left, on leaving the Villa Ludovisi, we 
proceed onwards, and passing out of the city by The Porta 
Solaria,* find on the right, 

THE VILLA ALBANI, 

designed and built in 1760, by Cardinal Allesandro Albani, 
who employed the architect Carlo Marchionni to carry out 
the work. 

It was in this villa that Cardinal Albani formed that 
magnificent collection of antique sculpture — in great part 
the result of excavations made at the time — which was the 

* This gate, which suffered severely during the three hours' siege of 1870. hash, on 
recently rebuilt. When the remains of the gate were taken down, the ruins ol several 
sepulchral monuments, now visible outside the gate, were discovered 

B B 



370 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



chief object of Winckelmann's studies, and the basis of his 
works on the history of art. Together with other spoils 
carried away from Rome, Napoleon I. took no fewer than 
294 pieces of sculpture from this celebrated collection ; and 
when the works of art taken to Paris were, at the Peace of 
1815, restored to their owners, the Albani family, unable to 
bear the expense of transport, sold them to the King of 
Bavaria. The Antinous, No. 994, only was brought back. 
The fame of this collection, therefore, is due to works no 
longer forming part of it. Those remaining are many, 
but, with a few exceptions, not of any very great interest.* 



51, 



54. 
59. 
61. 
64. 
72. 
59. 
79. 

82. 
87. 
19. 



16 



24. 

46. 

90. 

91. 

93. 
103. 
106. 

110. 



Seated statue of Augustus, 
with the attributes of 
Jupiter. 

Tiberius in military costume 

Lucius Verus. 

Seated statue of Faustina (?) 

Trajan. 

Marcus Aurelius. 
Lucius Verus 

Seated statue of Agrippina 

the elder. 
Hadrian. 
Augustus. 

A Caryatid. On the back 
of the basket are the names 
of the sculptors, Creton 
and Nicolaos. 

A Canephora, found near 
Frascati, in 1761, together 
withNos. 24 and 91. 

A Canephora, see No. 16. 

Brutus. 

Pertinax, in high relief. 
A Canephora, see No. 16. 
Juno. 

Bacchante. 

Faun, with the infant Bac- 
chus, on his shoulder. 

Faun, copy from the cele- 
brated statue by Praxiteles. 



I 120. Caius Cassar, grandson of 
Augustus. 

131. Sarcophagus, with relief, 

representing the marriage 
of Peleus and Thetis, 
placed between two very 
fine antique fluted columns 
— one of Cottanello, and 
the other of Alabastro 
fiorito, found at the Em- 
porium (see page 340) 
during the Pontificate of 
Clement XI. 

132. Lucius Verus. 

143. Livia performing sacrifice. 
152. Female bust. 

162. Bas relief of Diogenes re- 

ceiving Alexander. 

163. Daedalus and Icarus 

165. An ancient fresco painting, 
found during an excava- 
tion on the Estruiline. 

185. Leda and the swan. 

186. Plinth, bearing the name of 

Athenodorus, of Rhodes, 
one of the sculptors of the 
Laocoon. 
205. Iphigenia in Tauris recog- 
nising Orestes andPylades. 
I 219. Faun. 



* In this collection the works are conscciitivdy numbeied, wiihout reference to tlio 
zooms in which they are placed. 



The Villa Borghese. 



371 



223. Achilles and Memnon. 

484. Statue of Hylas. 

600. Bust of Domitian. 

017. Bust of Hadrian. 

624. Bust of Balbinus. 

632. Bust of Philip the elder. 

641. Marsyas. 

656. Bust of Pertinax. 

671. Lucilla. 

676. Jupiter Serapis. 

711. Juno descending from 
Olympus. 

729. Bust of Otho. 

741. Statue of Hercules. 

757. Statue of Bacchus. 

885. The Slaughter of the Chil- 
dren of Nibbe. 

893. Alimentarice Faustiniance, 
fragments of a frieze with 
what is supposed to be a 
representation of a distri- 
bution of corn to the people 
by Antoninus Pius, in 
honour of his wife Faus- 
tina, after her death. 

905. Apollo, seated. 

906. An Athlete, supposed,from 
the inscription on the 
trunk, to be a copy from a 
work by Stephanos, a 
pupil of Praxiteles. 

193. Faun. 

915. Cupid bending his bow. 
922. Mercury. 
928. Faun. 

931. Diana, alabaster statue, 
with head, arms, and feet 
of bronze. 

933. Ancient bronze copy of the 
Farnese Hercules. 



912. Diogenes and his dog. 

952. The Ajpollo Sauroctonos, 
a bronze copy from tho 
celebrated statue by Prax- 
iteles, erroneously sup- 
posed by Winckelmann to 
be the original. 

960. Bas-relief of the poet Per- 
seus (?) 

964. iEsop. 

977. Hercules and Apollo con- 
testing for the Delphic- 
Tripod. 

980. Leucothea with the infant 
Bacchus. 

985. Lynceus and Pollux. 

994. Antinous crowned with 
the Lotus Fjiower, found 
at Hadrian's Villa ; a 
highly finished work of its 
period, but by no means 
entitled to the high rank 
given to it among works 
of art. 

997. Statuette of a Satyresse. 

1008. Hercules in tbe gardens 
of the Hesperides. 

1009. Daedalus and Icarus. 

1013. Antinous with the attri- 
butes of one of the Dio- 
scuri. 

1023. Gordian III. 

1026. Messalina. 

1031. Zethus, Antiope, anj> 

Amphiox, a bas-relief cf 

great beauty. 
1031. Hermes of Tkeophrastu^ 

1036. Hermes of Hippo crate-,. 

1037. Osiris. 

1010. Hermes of Socrates. 



THE VILLA BORGHESE 
is situated immediately outside the Porta del Popolo, on 
the right hand {seepage 88). It stands in the midst of 
very extensive grounds and gardens, which are open to the 
public every day during the week, with the exception of 
Monday, and form one of the pleasantest drives in the neigh- 
bourhood of Rome. 



372 



Tourist's Handbook to Rome. 



The Casino, which contains a fine collection of ancient 
sculpture, is only open on Saturdays, in the afternoon. It 
was built by Vansanzio, for Cardinal Scipio Borghese, 
nephew of Paul V. 5 1605-21. 



The Grand Hall. 

The vaulted ceiling was painted by Mario Rossi, the chief subject 
representing the arrival of Camillus at the Capitol. The floor is laid 
with exceedingly interesting mosaics, representing gladiators and 
scenes in the Amphitheatre, found in 1831 among the remains of an 
ancient Villa at La Giostra, near the Torre Naova on the Via Labi- 
cana, above Tusculum. 



1. Statue of Diana. 

3. Isis ; colossal bust. 

5. Juno ; colossal bust. 

7. Tiberius. 

9. Caligula. 

11. Bacchus. 

11. Hadrian: colossal bust. 



15. Bacchus. 

16. Antoninus Pius ; colossal 

bust. 

Curtius leaping into the gulf; 
large alto-relief on the wall 
facing the entrance. 



First Koom. 



1. Juno, with the sceptre and 
patera, in the middle of 
the room. 

3. Urania. 

1. Ceres. 

5. Venus Genetrix. 



9. Leda and the swa,n. 
16. Flora 

20. Bas relief : the Birth of 

Telephus. 

21. Venus leaving the bath. 



Second Boom. 



Fighting Amazon, on horse- 
back : in the middle of the 
room. 

Bas relief of the labours of 
Hercules ; part of a sarco- 
'phagus. 

Bas relief; part of a sarco- 
phagus. 



6. Bust of Hercules. 

10. Bas relief of Tritons and Sea 
Nymphs, with a head of 
Oceanus in the centre. 

15. Hercules holding the distaff. 

21. Venus, resembling that of 
the Capitol. 



Third Boom. 



1. Apollo, with the Lyre : in the 

middle of the room. 

2. Child playing with a goose. 

3. Scipio Africanus. 

4. The Metamorphosis of 

Daphne. 

6. Venus and Cupid. 

7. Bust of a Bacchante. 



8. Melpomene, the Muse of 
Tragedy. 
10. Clio, the Muse of History. 

13. A seated statue of Anacreon. 

14. Lucilla. 

16. Erato, the Muse of Comedy. 
18. Polyhymnia, the Muse of 
Music. 



The Villa Boi-ghese. 



373 



In the corridor leading to the great gallery, there is a very fine bust 
of Cardinal Scipio Borghese, by Bernini. 

The Great Gallery. 

The subjects on the vault, painted by Domenico de Angelis, illus- 
trate the story of Acis and Galatea. Around the gallery is a series 
of modem busts of the first eleven Caesars, the heads sculptured in 
porphyry, and set into cuirasses of veined alabaster. 

Fourth Boom. 

3. Faun; an ancient copy from 11. Marble copy of the bronze 

the celebrated statue by statue of the shepherd 

Praxiteles. Martius, plucking the 

thorn from his foot, in the 
(i. Titus. Capitoline Museum. 

15. Fragment of a statue of 

7. The Hermaphrodite. Hylas, found in 1830, near 

Mentana, the ancient 
10. Tiberius. Momentum. 

Fifth Boom. 

1. Statue of Tyrtanis, in the 5. Lucilla (?) colossal bust. 

middle of the room. 10. Leda and the swan, found in 

2. Minerva. 1823, near Fraseati. 

4. Apollo. 15. JEsciUapiusandTelespLorus. 

Sixth Boom. 

1. Groun of a Boy on a Dol- ] 10. A Gypsy, in bronze and 
phin, in the middle of the marble : a work of the 

room. seventeenth centurv. 

3. Isis. 

4. Paris. 19. Hadrian, colossal bust. 

8. Ceres, with drapery, in black 

inarble. | 22. Yenus. 

Seventh I oom . 

1. A Dancing Faun, in the 6. Bust of Seneca, 

middle of the room, dis- 7. mst of Minerva, 

covered in 1832, in the 8< Fatm (see # 3 in fourtJt 

remains of an ancient ... .A 



villa, at the 32nd nine on 
the Via Salara. 



room). 
9. Pluto. 



2. Ceres. Seated statue of Fcriander. 

3. Mercury Liricinus. 19. Group of Bacchus and 

4. Satyr. Lioera. 

Beturning to the Great Gallery, we find, at the further cud, a spiral 
staircase leading to the rouins on the tirtt floor. 



374 



Tourist' 's Handbook to Rome. 



The Gallery. 

In the middle of the room are three very fine works by Bernini. 
No. 2, the group of ^Eneas and Anchises, said to have been executed 
by him when he was only fifteen years of age. No. 1, the group of 
Apollo and Daphne, his finest work, executed when in his eighteenth 
year ; and the statue of David slinging the stone at Goliath. The 
four marble vases, with subjects representing the Seasons, are by 
Laboureur. 

First Eoom. 



Statue of Innocence holding 
the Dove, by Aurelij. 

1. Bust of Paul V. : Bernini. 

2. Bust of Cardinal Scipio Bor- 

ghese: Bernini. 



27. Portrait of Marc Antonio 
Borghese, the father of 
Paul V. : Guido. 

7. Portrait of Paul V. : M. A. 

da Caravaggio. 

8. Portraits: Scipione Gaetani. 



Second Boom, 

contains a number of pictures by Marchetti, representing 
the seventeenth century, ruins, and architectural views. 

Third Boom, 



pageants of 



has a very beautiful painting by Gagnereau, upon the ceiling, repre- 
senting a nymph surprised by a satyr. 

Fourth Boom. 

In the middle of this room is the celebrated statue of Venus 
Yictrix, by Ganova, for which Pauline Buonaparte, the sister of 
Napoleon the First, sat, and of whom it is a portrait. 

Fifth Boom. 

In the middle of the room is a statue of a Bacchante, by Tadolini, 
18i2. The vaulted ceiling was painted by Novelli, with subjects 
illustrating the fable of Cupid and Psyche. The landscape paintings 
on the waUs are by Jean Francois Bloemer, of Antwerp, called in. 
Italy Orrizonte. 

The Sixth and Seventh Booms contain a number of paintings of 
no particular merit. The name of the artist is attached to each. 



APPENDIX. 



THE COLOSSEUM. 

The works of excavation have now been carried suf- 
ficentlj far to enable the visitor to form some conception 
of their great importance. At the depth of twenty-one 
feet below the modern level, which some were pleased to 
think was that made sacred bj the blood of many martyrs, 
the veritable Arena has been discovered paved with 'opus 
spicatum, or herring-bone work. Upon it are a nnmber of 
constructions, the exact nature of which has not yet been 
ascertained, nor will it be possible to arrive at any positive 
conclusion regarding them until the entire area has been 
cleared of the accumulation which covers it. The rude 
manner, however, in which they are built indicates a period 
long posterior to that of the Flavian Emperors, and al- 
though it is possible that some portions may have been 
erected to raise the level of the arena, or to support a 
pensile flooring, there can be little doubt the majority of 
them are the remains of constructions of the Frangipani 
family, who, in the eleventh century, converted the Colos- 
seum into a fortress. 

At the end furthest from the Forum three enormous 
corridors have been found, opening into and from the 
arena. That in the centre is somewhat above its level, 
and continues in a direct line for a considerable distance, 
but its termination has not been reached. It is conjec- 
tured that it leads to the great Vivarium — the menagerie 
where the wild beasts were kept — which is known to have 



376 



Appendix. 



been situated near the Porta Maggiore. From its sides a 
series of large chambers open off, possibly rooms for the 
Gladiators and Bestiarii to wait in until their time came 
for appearing on the arena ; and about half -way along the 
distance which has been cleared of the Tiber mud with 
which it was filled, another passage branches from it at 
right angles in the direction of the Ccelian, that is, to the 
right as we go from the building. This branch, from the 
indication of steps in it, was possibly an entrance into the 
long passage from the upper level at this point. 

Below this long passage, and opening from and below 
the level of the arena, there is a great drain, at the mouth 
of which are some of the iron bars, the remains of the 
grating to prevent solid bodies washing down it. It is 
conjectured that this drain was for the purpose of carrying 
off the water at times when the arena was flooded for naval 
shows, though there is much controversy as to whether 
exhibitions of this nature were ever given in the Colosseum. 

The side corridors branch off on the one side and the 
other from that in the centre, and at the distance of 78 
feet turn at right angles, the one to the right, the other 
to the left, and connect with that between them. In each 
of these corridors there is a series of great bronze sockets, 
into which it is supposed that the pivots of swing gates, 
forming so many dens or cages for the wild beasts, were 
inserted. The animals were, in all probability, brought from 
the menagerie along the central passage, and turned to the 
right and to the left into these lateral corridors, where 
they were kept divided into groups between the different 
gates, to be turned loose upon the arena as required. 

At the north side of the Colosseum, towards the Esqui- 
line, the mouth of another great corridor has been found 



Appendix. 



M7 



opening npon the arena. It is expected that a corre- 
sponding corridor will be fonnd opposite to this, on the 
sonth side, towards the Ccelian ; as also, that at the end 
towards the Forum, three others, corresponding to those 
at the east end, will be discovered. 

On the side towards the Ccelian, but rather to the east 
of the south end of the lesser axis, a long passage has been 
discovered, which, from the indications remaining, was 
originally paved with mosaic, and had a vaulting adorned 
with stncco ornaments. This is believed to be the passage 
made for the convenience of the Emperor Commodns, and 
in which the attempt was made to assassinate him. 

In the conrse of the excavations several marble slabs, 
parts of the seats, have been found, on which are graphites 
deeply scored into the marble: rude representations of 
scenes in the amphitheatre, made, no doubt, by spectators 
while waiting for the games to commence. These have 
been placed on pedestals, at the opening of the great central 
corridor, at the east end. A number of fragments of the 
marble elbows of the Cunei have also been found, orna- 
mented with sphingi, dolphins, greyhounds, and the like. 
These are now in one of the chambers off the side of the 
long passage. 

The latest discovery made is the remains of a kind of 
stage or flooring, formed of great beams and cross-bars of 
timber, in a wonderfnl state of preservation, though black 
with either the effect of fire or through having lain buried 
in the wet clay for centuries. Where this flooring was 
placed has yet to be determined. 

THE HOUSE OF MAECENAS. 
To the left of the road leading from the Church of Sta- 



378 



Appendix. 



Maria Maggiore towards St. John Lateran, and at a short 
distance after passing* the Chnrch of the Redemptorists 
(see page 265), a portion of an ancient honse of a very 
interesting character has been discovered. It is a kind of 
lecture-room or hall for holding philosophical discussions, 
and is in the form of a parallelogram, with at one end a 
semicircular range of seats rising one above the other. 

The walls were beautifully painted in fresco, of which 
considerable remains, in a very fine state of preservation, 
are still existing. As the house of Massenas is known to 
have been in this vicinity, it is pleasant, at least, to suppose 
that this room may have formed part of it. 

Near to this a very fine fragment of the 

AGGER OF SEEVIUS TULLIUS 

has been found, and the arrangement of the new streets 
in this quarter are being laid out in such a way as to 
permit of its preservation. 

THE VENUS OF THE ESQUILINE. 

At the distance of some fifty or sixty yards beyond 
the house of Maecenas, in the direction of Sta. Croce in 
Grerusalemnie, a treasure trove of antique sculpture was 
made during the Christmas week of last year. It consisted 
of a very lovely Statue of Venus ; a remarkable Bust of 
Commodus, with arms, and draped in the skin of the Nemean 
Lion; Two Tritons ; a Statue of Bacchus; and two Female 
Portrait Statues, together with some other pieces of sculp- 
ture, all found together. 



INDEX. 



Care has been taken to Index the names of the different streets and piazzas 
traversed in this Itinerary, so that the Visitor, wherever he may find hiaiself, has 
nuly to refer to the name of the street in order to open this book at one 3 at the 
description of the locality. As a matter of conrse, only the principal streets are 
mentioned, bat the pedestrian can scarcely walk far without passing one or other 
of these. 



PAGE 

Academy of St. Luke ... 139 
Agger of Servius Tullius ... 33 

AlbanHils ... ... 199 

Amphitheatres — 

Castrense ... .. 197 

Flavian ... ... 160 

Aqueducts — 

Claudian ... ... 200 

Julian ... ... 201 

Marcian ... ... 201 

Nero, of ... ... 172 

Tepulan . . ..201 

Arches of — 

Antoninus Pius ... 95 

Constantine ... ... 158 

Dolabella ... ... 206 

Drusus ... ..219 

(lallienus ... ... 265 

the Goldsmiths' .. 337 

the Pantani ... ... Ill 

Septimius Severus ... 133 

Titus... ... ... 155 

Auguratorium ... .. IIS 

Aventine Hill .. ... 350 

Bambino ... ... 129 

Baptistry of Constantine ... ISO 
Baptistry of the Lateran ... 171 
Basilicas, Christian, see 
Churches. 

Basilicas of — 

Antoninus Pius ... 99 

Constantine ... ..112 

Julia ... ... ... 135 



Baths of — 

Agrippa ... ... 2S3 

Caracalla ... ... 212 

Constantine ... ... 213 

Diocletian ... ... 250 

Livia 117 

Novatus ... ... 256 

Titus... ... .. 164 

Trajan ... ..271 

Bocca della Yerita ... 330 

Bridges, see Ponte. 

Capitoline Museum of Sculp- 
ture ... ... H7 

Capitol, The ... ... 116 

Capitoline Venus... ... 121 

Casale Botondo ... ..- 232 

Castle of St. Angelo ... 11 

Catacombs of— 

St. Agnese ... ... 363 

St. Callixtus ... ... 222 

St Cvriaca ... .. 364 

Jewish ... .. 221 

Saint Sebastian ... 221 

Cemeteries of — 

The Cappuccini .. 216 

St. Lorenzo ... ... 368 

Protestant .. ... 310 

Chamber of Deputies .. 97 

Chapel, Sixtine ... ... 65 

Christian Museum of the 

Lateran ... ... 1S6 



380 



Tourist' 's Handbook to Home. 



PAGE 

Churches — 

St. Adriano ... ... 132 

St. Agnes in Piazza Na- 

vona ... ... 280 

St. Agnes outside the 

walls ... ... 381 

St. Agostino .. .. 275 

St. Alessio ... ... 353 

Santi Apostoli... ... 112 

St. Andrea delle Fratte ... 233 
St. Andrea a Monte Cavalio 243 
St. Andrea Delia Valle ... 294 
St. Antonio ... ... 264 

St. Angelo in Pescheria . . . 330 
The Ara Cceli ... ... 117 

Sta. Balbina ... ... 212 

St. Basilio ... ... 353 

St. Bartolornmeo .. 324 

St. Bernardo alia Colonna 

Trajan i ... ... 115 

St. Bernardo at the Baths 

of Diocletian ... 250 

The Cappuccini . . . 246 

San Carlo ... ... 94 

St. Carlo alle Quatro- 

fontane ... ... 243 

Sta. Cecilia ... ... 320 

St. Cesario ... ... 217 

St. Clement ... ... 164 

St. Cosma and Damiano 142 
Sta. Costantia .. ... 363 

Sta. Croce in Gerusalemme 197 
St. Crysogono ... .. 316 

Sta. Francesca Boman*... 159 
The Gesu ... ... 292 

Gesu e Maria ... 92 

San Giacomo degli Incu- 

rabili ... ... 92 

St. Giorgio in Velabro ... 338 
St. Giovanni in Laterano 171 
San Giovanni in Olio ... 217 
San Giovanni e Paolo ... 207 
San Giovanni a Porta 

Latina ... ... 217 

St. Girolamo degli Schia- 

vone ... ... 275 

San Giuseppe de'Falegnami 131 
San Gregorio ... ... 208 

St. John Lateran ... 171 

Sta. Maria Liberatrice ... 138 
St. Lorenzo iuore le Mura 364 



Chueches, Continued — 

St. Lorenzo in Mirando... 137 
St. Lugi dei Francese ... 277 
St. Marcellus .. ... 101 

Sta. Maria degli Angeli . . . 252. 
Sta. Maria Aventina . . 343 
Sta.Maria della Coneezione 248 
Sta. Maria in Cosmedin... 335 
Sta. Maria in Dominca ... 205 
Sta. Maria Egizziaca ... 333 
Sta. Maria di Loreto ... 115 
Sta. Maria Maggiore ... 258 
Sta. Maria di Miraeoli . . 91 
Sta. Maria di Montesanto 91 
Sta. Maria della Pace ... 279 
Sta. Maria delle Palme ... 221 
Sta. Maria delle Piante ... 221 
Sta. Mari* del Popolo ... 89 
Sta. M aria Scala Cceli ... 349 
Sta. Maria del Sole . . . 335- 
Sta. Maria Sopra Minerva 288 
Sta. Maria hi Trastevere ... 312 
Sta. Maria in Trivio . . 233 
Sta. Maria in Via ... 233 
Sta. Maria in Via Lata ... 103 
Sta. Maria della Vittori, . . . 247 
St. Mark ... ... 115 

St. Martino ai Monte ... 267 
Sta. Martina on the Forum 133 
SS. Nereus and Achilleus 215 
St. Nicholas of Bari ... 229' 
St. Niccola in Carcere .. 330 
St. Niccola da Tolentino 247 
St. Onofrio ... ... 304 

St. Pantaleone ... .. 295 

St. Paul, outside the walls 343 
St. Paolo alle Tre Fontane 349 
St. Peter's .. ... 50 

Sta. Petronilla... ... 225. 

St. Pietro in Montorio . . . 357 
St. Pietro in Vinculi ... 270 
Sta. Prassede ... ... 265 

Sta. Prisca ... ... 356 

Sta. Pudenziana ... 255 

SS. Quatro Coronati ... 202 
St. Kocco ... ... 275 

Sta. Sabina ... .. 350 

St. Sebastian ... ... 224 

Santi Apostod ... ... 112. 

St. Sisto Vecchio ... 216 

Sto. Spirito in Sassia ... 304 



Index. 



381 



PAGE 

Churches, Continued — 

St. Stefaiio Eotondo ...204 

Sta. Sudario ... ... 294 

Sta. Susanna ... ... 249 

The Trinita de' Monti ... 37 

St. Theodore ... ... 152 



San Tommasso in Forms 206 
SS.Vincenzo and Anastasio 233 
SS. Vincenzo & Anastasio 
at the Three Fountains 349 
Oinncinnatus, his Fields ... 275 



Circuses — 

AgonaHs ... ... 278 

Alexandri ... ... 278 

Maximus ... .. 171 

Boniulus ... ... 227 

Sallust .. ... 247 

Clivus Victoria? ... ... 153 

Clivus of Saurus ... 204 

Cloaca Maxima ... ... 136 

Cloaca Maxima ... ... 333 

Ccelian Hill, The... ... 202 

Colosseum, The ... ... 160 

Corso, The ... ..38 

Columns — 

The Antonine ... ..96 

Of the Immaculate Con- 
ception ... ..36 

Of Phocas .. ..135 

Of Trajan ... ... 115 

Curia Innocenziana . . 97 

Curia of Ponipey ... ... 295 

Domitian's Statue ... 137 
Domus Transitoria of Nero ... 156 

Egyptian Museum of the 

Vatican ... ... 88 

Emporium, The ... ... 340 

Etruscan Museum of the 

Vatican . ... 88 

For a or Forums — 

of Augustus .. ... 141 

Boarum ... ... 337 

of Nerva ... ..138 

Komanum ... ... 130 

of Trajan ... ... 114 

Transitorum ... ... 141 



PAGE 



Fountains — 

of the Acqua Marcia . . . 34 

of the Aqua Paolo ... 358 

of the Barcaccia ... 36 

of Egeria ... ... 212 

of the Piazza Navona .. 27S 

the Quattro Fontane ... 243 

of the Termini... ... 34 

ofTrevi ... ... 99 

Ditto ... ... 233 

Gaetani Fortress ... ... 228 

Gardens, Botanical ... 307 
Garden of the Colonna 

Palace ... ... 243 

Gardens of Sallust ... 247 

Ghetto, The ... ... 326 

Golden House of Nero ... 164 
Guard House of the 7th 

Cohort of the Vigiles ... 318 

Hilda's Tower ... ... 275 

Hospital of San Michele ... 339 
Hospital of Smto Spirito ... 303 
House of Augustus, The .. 15; > 
House of CJaude Lorrain ... 255 
House of Caligula ... 153 

House of Domenichino ... 267 
House of Lucretia Borgia ... 274 
House of Nero, Golden ... 164 
House of Nicholas Poussin 255 
House of Pudens... ... 256 

House of Kienzi ... ... 332 

House of Tiberius ... 148 

House of Tiberius Claudius 

Nero ... ... 14S 

House of the Zuccari ... 255 

IsolaTiberina, The ... 324 

Janus Quadrifrons, The ... 337 

Last Judgment ... ... 65 

Library of the Vatican ... 87 
Lateran Cloisters, The ... 179 

Macellum Magnum ... 204 

Madama Lucretia ... 116 

Mamer tine Prison, The ... 131 
Marcus Aurelius, Equestrian 

Statue of ... ... 117 



382 



Tourist's Handbook to Home. 



Marmorata, The ... ... 339 

Marrana, The ... ... 212 

Mausoleum of Augustus ... 92 

Mausoleum of Hadrian ... 44 

Meta Sudans ... ... 1 60 

Michael Angelo's Christ ... 291 
Michael Angelo's Last Judg- 
ment ... ..65 

Michael Angelo's Moses ... 272 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs 241 

Ministry of the Interior . . 296 

Monte Caprino ... ... 130 

Monte Cavallo ... ... 240 

Monte Testaccio ... ... 342 

Monastery of the Maronites 274 j 

Museum of the Palatine ... 153 { 

Naumachia of Domitian ... 35 j 

New Borne ... .234 

Nero's Golden House ... 161 

Obelisk of the Lateran ... 171 

Obelisk of the Popolo ... 89 

Palaces — 

Barberini .... ... 244 

Bernini ... ... 94 

Borghese ... ... 39 

Braschi ... ... 295 

Buonaparte ... ... 113 

Cancelleria ... ... 296 

Chigi... ... ... 95 

Colonna ... ... 108 

of the Conservator! ... 123 

of the Consulta .. 241 

Corsini . . ... 307 

Doria... ... ... 104 

F. Farnese ... ... 289 

The Farnesina... ... 310 

Fiano ... ... 95 

Giraud ... ... 48 

of the Knights of Malta... 38 

Lateran ... ... 171 

Madama ... ... 278 

Massimo ... ... 295 

Odescalchi ... ... 113 

Orsini ... ... 326 

Piombino ,.. ... 95 

Poli ... ... .. 233 

Quirinal ... ... 235 

Kospigliosi ... ... 241 

Buspoli ... ... 94 



PAGE 

Palaces, Continued— 

Salviati .. 108 

Savorelli .. ... 113 

Sciarra ... ... 10O 

Spada ... .. 299 

Savorelli ... ... 115 

di Spagna ... ... 36 

Tor onia ... ... 113 

Vatican ... ... 50 1 

Pantheon ... ... 282 

Pasquin ... ... 296 

Piazzas — 

Barberini ... ... 35 

Campo de Fiori ... 298 

delta Cancelleria ... 296 

Capo de Ferro .. ... 299 

Colonna ... ... 95 

dei Crociferi ... ... 233 

di S. Egidio ... ... 312 

San Luigi dei Francesi ... 277 
San Lorenzo in Lucina ... 94 

Madama ... ... 278 

della Minerva ... ... 28S 

di Monte Citorio ... 97 

Monte di Fiore .. ... 318 

ftavona ... ... 278 

di Pietra ... ... 99 

di Spagna ... . . 35 

di Termini ... 33 

di Venezia ... ... 108 

Pictu-RE Galleries— 

Barberini ... ... 244 

Borghese ... ... 39 

Capito:ine ... ... 124 

Colonna .. ... 108 

Corsini ... .... 307 

Doria... ... ... 104 

Lateran ... ... 192 

Bospigliosi .. ... 242 

Sciarra ... ... 100 

Spada ... ... 300 

Vatican . ... 73 

Piscina Publica, The ... 212 

Pompey's Statue... ... 299 

Ponte St. Angelo ... 43 

Pons ^Fmilius ... ... 333 

Ponte de S. Bartolomeo ... 324 

Pons Fabricius ... ... 325 

Ponte Quattro Capi ... 325 

Ponte Potto ... ... 333 

Ponte Sisto ... ... 3U3 



Index. 



383 



PAGE 

Pons Snblicius .. ... 333 

Porta Angelica ... ... 275 

Porta Amelia ... .. 359 

Porta Capena ... ... 211 

Porta San Giovanni .. 364 

Porta Labicana ... ... 200 

Porta San Lorenzo ... 33 

Porta Maggiore ... ... 33 

Porta Maggiore . ... 2U0 

Porta Mugonia ... ... 145 

Porta Xoinentana ... 360 

Porta Ostiensls ... ... 343 

Porta San Pancrazio ... 358 

Porta San Paolo . ... 343 

Porta Pia ... ... 243 

Porta Pia ... ... 360 

Porta Praenestina ... 200 

Porta Salaria ... . . 362 

Porta Santo Spirito . 3l)4 

Porta Septinriana ... 311 

Porta Trigernina... ... 339 

Post Office ... ... 95 

Portico of the Dii Consentes 134 

Portico of Octavia ... 327 

The Priorata ... ... 355 

Propaganda Fide College .. 36 

Protestant Cemetery ... 340 
Pyramid of Caius Cestius ... 342 

Raphael's Loggie . ... 73 

Raphael's stanze .. 6S 

Pwaphael's Sybils ... ... 279 

Ripetta .. ... ... 274 

Rostrum, The ... ... 135 

Sabine Hills ... ... 197 

Sancta Sanctorum .. 180 

Scala Eegia ... ..64 

Sca!a Santa ... .. 195 

Sealinata ... ... 37 

Schola Xantha ... ... 134 

ScrLPTUF.E Gaixebies — 

Albani Villa ... ..369 

Borghese Villa . . ... 371 

Capitoline .. ... 117 

Lateran ... .. 1S2 

Ludovisi Villa... ... 369 

Vatican ... ... 76 

Senate House ... ... 278 

Septizonium ... ... 150 

Servius TuLius, Agger ... 33 



PACi B 

Stadium of Doinitian ... 150 

Statue of Domitian ... 137 
Statue of Marcus Aurelius... 117 

Statue of Pompey ... 299 

Statue of Nero ... .. 160 

Taberna Merit oria ... 312 

The Tarpeian Rock . . 130 

Tasso's Oak . . ... 3U6 

Temples of — 

-Esculapius ... ... 324 

Antoninus and Faustina.. 137 

Castor and Pollux ... 136 

Ceres and Proserpine * ... 335 

Claudius . ... 207 

Concord ... ... 133 

Diana ... ... 351 

Forttma Virilis ... 333 

Hope ... ... 330 

the Deified Julius ... 137 

Juno Matuta ... .. 331 

Juno Regina ... ... 329 

Juno Regina ... ..351 

Jupiter, in the Portico of 

Octavia ... ... 329 

Jupiter Capitolinus ... 126 

Jupiter Propugnator ... 147 

Jupiter Stator ... ... 140 

Jupiter Victor ... ... 147 

Jupiter on the Via Appia. 23u 

Mars Ultor ... ... 141 

Minerva Medica ... 33 

Neptune .. ... 99 

Pudicizia Patrizia ... 335 

Romulus ... ... 142 

Saturn ... ... 134 

the Sun ... ... 243 

Venus and Cupid ... 199 

Venus aud Rome ... 156 

Vesta ... ... 138 

Vesta ... ... 334 

Vespasian ... ... 134 

, Theatre of Marctllus ... 327 

j Theatre of Pompey ... 295 

Thermae, see Bath* 
< Tomb of the Baker Eurysaees 201 

I Tomb of Bibulus... ... 114 

I Tomb of Cfficilia Metella .. 228 

I Tomb of Cotta ... ... 232 

| Tomb of Geta ... ..220 

Tomb of Raphael ... 288 



384 



Tourist's Handbook to Borne. 



Tomb of Romulus 
Tomb of Seneca .. 
Torre della Scimia 
Trastevere, The ... 
Tullianum, The ... 

Ustrinuin, The ... 

Vias— 



PAGE 

225 
230 
275 
303 
132 

230 



Vias, Continued — 
del Qurinale .. 
della Paglia 
dei Penetenzieri 
dei Pelligrini ... 
Poli 

della Polveriera 
di Ponte Rotto... 
dei Pontefici ... 



243 
312 
3(14 
303 
233 
274 
332 
92 



Anicia 


. 323 


della Propaganda 


.. 233 


St. Andrea delle Fratte 


. 233 


di Sta. Pudenziana 


. . v 55 


Antonina 


212 


de Bepresa de' Barberi . 


. 114 


St. Antonio dei Portoghesi 275 


Bipetta 


275 


Appia 


. 217 


San Bomualdo 


.. 113 


Ara Coeli 


. 326 


di Sta. Sabina ... 


.. 350 


Ardeatina 


. 221 


Sacra... 


. 136 


San Basilio 


. 368 


della Salara 


.. 350 


dei Baullari 


. 296 


del Salvatore ... 


.. 282 


Bonella 


. 141 


Porta San Sebastiano 


. 2(2 


Borgo Santo Spirito 


. 303 


della Scala 


.. 3i2 


dei Cerchi 


337 


della Scrofa 


.. 276 


Oesarini 


. 294 


delle Sette Chiese 


.. 225 


Oonditti 


. 38 


Tor di Specchio 


. 326 


Corso 


. 91 


Sta. Susanna ... 


.. 247 


St. Crysogono ... 


319 


Torino ... 


.. 251 


S. Dorotea 


. 311 


Triumphalis ... 


. 211 


Felice 


. 225 


Vente Settembre 


. 360 


Flaminia 


91 


de Venti 


. 299 


Fiumara 


325 


Viminale 


. 254 


della Fontanella 


91 


Vigna Guidi ... . 


. 216 


del Foro Trajano 


115 




de Genovesi 


319 


Villas— 




di St. Giorgio in Velabro 


. 337 


Albani 


. 369 


San Giovani Laterano . 


164 


Borghese 


. 371 


Guistiniani 


282 


Ludovisi 


. 368 


Labicana' 


274 


of the Quintilli 


. 231 


Latina 


217 


Pamphili Doria 


. 359 


della Lungara ... 


304 


Strozzi 


. 254 


della Lungaretto 


3 6 


Torlonia 


, 36. » 


San Marco 


115 


Volkonsky 


. 197 


St. Martino 


265 


Vi varum 


. 207 


di Massimi 


295 






Merulana ... : . 


265 


Wall of Ancus Martius 


. 356 


del Monte Savello 


326 


Wall of Bomulus ... 


. 151 


Nazionale 


251 


Wall of Romulus 


. 356 


San Niccola da Tolentino 247 


Water of Mercury, The 


. 212 



I 

I 



